


RIVAUX: REMATCH

by Hyperionova



Series: RIVAUX [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Guns, Lovers to enemies who pine for each other, M/M, Smut, Terrorism, mafia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2020-08-12 01:42:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20163589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyperionova/pseuds/Hyperionova
Summary: A sequel to Rivaux: Reboot.





	1. P R O L O G U E

**Author's Note:**

> The story contains a lot of content that might trigger some readers. Read at your own discretion.

“Room number 405. Potbelly Red is in the suite.”

It was not the kind of hotel that teemed with excited tourists and overly amorous couples. The hallways were quite enough for Sehun to hear his own heartbeat. Only the elite came here for businesses they intended to keep from the eyes of the public. None of them were up to any good. Perfect location for illicit activities.

“Potbelly Red?” he muttered into the comm, the small and discreet earpiece in his ear.

“That is my codename for Harlan,” said B.I on the other side of the connection. Rolling his eyes, Sehun tugged at the collar of his shirt with one hand while the other pushed the food cart along the hallway.

“Redundant,” he remarked. “This uniform is choking me.”

“I share your suffering,” said Jaehyun from the other end. “Where are you?”

Pushing the cart into the elevator, Sehun quickly punched the button to the fourth floor. “Just entered the elevator. You?”

“Closer to the suite,” said the rank-3 agent.

“Oh! Update,” rasped B.I. “Porcelain has now left our beloved Potbelly Red.”

“Who’s Porcelain?” asked Sehun, grimacing. His frown deepened when he looked at his reflection in the mirror inside the elevator. He looked like a buffoon, dressed as a bellhop. But it was the perfect disguise. Still, could never be too careful in this field. He kept his head low as the elevator doors opened on the third floor and a man walked in.

“A pretty lady,” said B.I. “Don’t know who she is.”

“So, that’s the reason why Harlan booked a suite here so late in the evening,” scoffed Jaehyun. “We could tip off his wife, and she could do the work for us and finish him off.”

Sehun bowed his head and the man in the elevator who was now staring at him.

As soon as the elevator dinged open on the fourth floor, Sehun hurried out of it. “That is not why we’re here,” he said into the comm.

“Exactly,” said B.I. “We still need him. Alive. And try not to cause a scene.”

Sehun soon met up with Jaehyun just a couple of doors away from room 405. “Ready to bust in?” asked Sehun, smirking at his subordinate.

Jaehyun shrugged. “You do know that this is not my first rodeo, right?”

“Try not to get too cocky,” said Sehun as he approached the suite and gave the door a knock. “Room service.”

“Come in,” he heard Harlan’s response from the other side of the door.

Rolling his shoulders back, Sehun turned the doorknob and pushed the door open before entering along with the cart. Jaehyun followed with his.

Rhodes Harlan. 36 years old. Rather young for someone who had overseen 24 heists and 51 jailbreaks. For someone so famous, he was very private. The agency had a tough time tracking him down. It had taken them years. He never showed up in person to his meetings. He always sent an envoy. A notoriously confidential criminal who brokered countless covenants between extortionist and terrorist groups.

There was no point in taking him in as there was a severe lack of evidence to prosecute him. Until quite recently when it came to intel’s attention that he was sought out by a criminal organization that had been at large for the past couple of years. Infiltrating the organization had been impossible previously. They were good at covering their tracks. But Rhodes Harlan was capable of paving the way now. He could lead them right to Red Peril.

“We don’t know what Red Peril wants from him,” said B.I. “So, whatever you do, don’t put a bullet in his head. We need the intel out of him.”

Harlan was lounged on the bed, clothed in nothing but a silk robe. The room stank. Wine stains on the carpet. Used condoms tossed onto the floor. The sheets on the bed crumpled.

“Well, what are you standing there for like a couple of rocks?!” the man yapped in Sehun and Jaehyun’s way.

Sehun sighed and turned to the food cart. Removing the cover of the serving tray, he picked up the tranquilizer gun and cocked it before facing the plump man again.

“We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Harlan,” he said with nonchalance. “Dealer’s choice.”

With panic paling his face, Harlan slowly got off the bed and gaped at them, jaw slack, eyes bulged out in horror. “Y-You… You don’t want to do this. Trust me. You won’t get away with it.”

Sehun and Jaehyun exchanged a glance. Then scoffing, Sehun handed the tranquilizer gun over to Jaehyun before he picked the Glock 19 from the holster around his thigh and fixed the silencer to it.

“I think you got this wrong,” said Sehun, locking the silencer in. “Who are you sending in your place to meet up with Red Peril on Tuesday?”

Harlan did not answer as he continued to stare at Sehun. His eyes briefly flitted to his phone on the bedside table.

“Don’t even think about it,” said Sehun as he raised the gun and pointed it to Harlan. The man held his hands up at once.

“He’s the mastermind behind all those heists?” asked Jaehyun cynically.

“He’s more of a catalyst and an enabler,” said B.I. “He helps make it happen.”

“I am losing my patience, Harlan,” Sehun chimed, flourishing his gun. “Tik-tok.”

“Jude Beckett,” said Harlan at length. “He’s a tech guy of mine.”

“All right. You’re gonna let Jude know now that Tuesday’s deal is off.”

Jaehyun picked up the phone and tossed it to Harlan. “Try any monkey business and your head will be split open,” he warned the man.

Scowling with a lockjaw, Harlan began to type a message in his phone. “Done,” he then spat, handing the phone back to Jaehyun.

“Good,” said Sehun. “How will Red Peril know that Jude Beckett is your guy?”

Harlan did not speak. He groaned and fell to his knees when Jaehyun smacked him on the back of his head with the butt of his gun.

“There is a… passcode,” said Harlan.

“Which is?”

Jaehyun booted him on the face when he would not answer.

“Ramrod Mustang,” he hissed through his grit teeth.

Sehun dropped to a crouch and looked at the man with a cocked eyebrow. “Bad things will happen if you’re lying, Harlan. So, for your sake, I hope you’re not.”

“You don’t want to mess with Red Peril,” he then spat like a snake spitting its venom. “You walk in there, pretending to be one of my guys, you’re not going to walk out of there alive if they find out.”

“Look at you catching on,” Jaehyun scoffed and grabbed Harlan by the back of his robe to yank him back up to his full height.

Heaving a sigh, Sehun gave Jaehyun a nod of his head to go ahead and tranquilize the man. “Send the men in,” he told B.I. “Get me a complete rundown on one Jude Beckett.”

* * *

“It was a smooth operation,” said Julien from where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “But Harlan’s not giving us anything more to work with. So, unless you get something out of Red Peril at the exchange, we have nothing.”

“We’ll get something,” said Jaehyun. “You worry too much.”

Julien turned around and faced Jaehyun with a critical look. Then sighing, he glanced over to Sehun. “Are you sure you got this, Agent Oh?”

“It’s not failproof. But we have a shot at finding out what Harlan was up to with Red Peril and what Red Peril could possibly want from him,” said Sehun.

Julien nodded his head, though he looked more worried than usual. “B.I, anything on this Beckett guy?”

“Nothing other than he is Harlan’s most valuable tech support,” B.I scoffed. “Meaning he’s the brain behind the heists.”

“The nerd,” said Jaehyun.

B.I stuck his tongue out at him.

“Am I to impersonate him?” asked Sehun.

“According to Harlan, all you have to do is walk in there and listen to what Red Peril has to say to you,” said B.I. “And don’t blow your cover.”

“I’ve got a pretty good poker face.”

“All right,” said Julien. “You’re all dismissed. Jaehyun, don’t forget to hand in the report.”

As Sehun made his way out of the room, he fished his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. 12 missed calls. He smiled at them. It was nice to have someone who worried for him.

When he reached home that night and walked into the shared apartment, he squinted in the darkness and reached for the light switch, but he stopped, noticing the candlelight that surged from the dining area.

“You’re late, and you didn’t answer any of my calls,” said Jon, rising from where he was sitting, pouting, on the sofa.

Shutting the door behind him, Sehun walked over to the dining table and smiled at the platters of food displayed on them along with a bottle of crisp Chardonnay. “Are we… celebrating something?” he asked, looking back at his quite annoyed boyfriend.

The anger seemed to have dissipated from Jon’s face. “Our second monthiversary,” he said.

“Didn’t know that’s a thing that people celebrated,” he sighed. “This is nice, though.”

“It would have been warm if you had come home earlier.”

“Sorry,” he said, ambling over to Jon. Throwing his arms around Jon’s neck, he pulled the man down for a quick kiss. “I got caught up at work.”

Although they had been dating for two months. Sehun never divulged anything to Jon. It was not fair to him to be kept in the dark. But Sehun needed the normalcy in his life to help him move on. Jon was doing that all too well. The one normal thing to happen to Sehun in a very, very long time. Sehun did not want to ruin it.

“Let’s eat,” he said, smiling at his boyfriend’s green eyes.

They sat down to eat. Something was still bothering Jon. His expression was all scrunched up in dismay. As tired as Sehun was, he did not want this night to turn into something sour.

“The trout’s wonderful,” he commented.

Jon said nothing, but he gave Sehun a small smile.

“Is… something wrong?” asked Sehun.

Jon licked his lips and was mum for a moment. “Actually… there is something that I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh.” Sehun wiped his mouth with a napkin. “What is it?”

Jon sat up straighter in his seat and exhaled heavily. “I don’t mean to pry, but last night, you were… mumbling in your sleep. I think you were having nightmares. And you… repeatedly said the name… Kai.”

That was it. It was all that it took for it all to come back to Sehun to haunt him, torment him. “Jon…” He closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

“So, that’s an actual person?” asked Jon. “Kai?”

Sehun clenched his jaw. “Please. Stop.”

“Who is it?”

“I said stop.” Sehun shot up from the chair then and stomped away with his hands balled into fists at his sides. He could not breathe. It was as though all wind had been knocked out of his lungs.


	2. Chapter 2

# B L A S T F R O M T H E P A S T

The morning was uneventful, as uneventful as mornings went. Sehun roused the usual and endless bustle of the metropolis. Some days, the flurry of the city was comforting. Other days, it was just too loud. So loud that it was deafening. Those days, Sehun wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and put his arms around his body, not wanting to let anyone in.

He had gotten stronger, he believed. But he doubted that he could ever get strong enough to put the memories and horrors, that continued to haunt him on cold nights, to flight. Not for the lack of trying. Nothing really worked. Those days, he would really just have to grit his teeth and power through.

He sat up on the couch which he had fallen asleep on last night. He had neither the mental capability nor the physical strength to confront Jon last night. As much as he liked Jon, he certainly did not like him enough to open himself up to him. The last two times Sehun had done it, he had gotten hurt severely. And the wounds never scarred. They continued to hurt him, cause him an agony like no other. He did not think that he could survive another blow, another betrayal like that. So, he kept Jon at bay, not wanting to open up ever again to another person. He was not sure if he were capable of a love like that anymore.

Rubbing his eyes on the hilt of his palms, he huffed heavily and raised his head to stare at the blank screen of the television. Then he looked in the direction of the bedroom. The door was open. Jon must have left for work. Sehun knew he was the one who was at fault. Jon had his rights to ask Sehun the questions he did. And he was probably hurt from Sehun’s response. Sehun owed him an explanation. But what could he possibly tell Jon about his nightmares? About the reason why Sehun had lost a part of him and would never be able to recover it and give himself to another else?

His nightmares… They were the worst. Sometimes, Sehun wished that he would not be alive to be put through another night of those nightmares. It would be easier to cope if he weren’t the one who was suffering in those dreams. The pain of seeing the man he had once loved so dearly, so madly being chained to a chair and having done all sorts of horrid things to him…

Sehun clenched his eyes and swallowed hard. Then drawing in a sharp breath, he rose from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. Pouring himself a mug of lukewarm coffee, he wandered over to the balcony, drawing the curtains aside.

He leaned over the railing, hands wrapped around the mug. He gazed down at the straggles of buildings that were scraping the sky, lines of roads that were thronged with honking cars, swarms of people basically racing past each other on the sidewalks. Sehun took a swig of the coffee. It hit the spot.

Even if he was no longer in Sehun’s life, he continued to haunt him in ways that were inescapable. Sometimes, even the littlest things reminded Sehun of the good and unfortunately, the bad memories of him. When he took a look into the coffee in the mug, he thought of the time Kai smiled at him faintly while sipping some coffee before he told Sehun about his past. All things which Sehun had fallen for.

Letting out a sigh, he pulled away from the railing and wandered back inside before he could throw himself off the balcony to stop the pain.

When he walked into the bedroom, he stopped to glance at the digital photo frame that rested on the bedside table. It was the first picture he and Jon had taken together. First date. Sehun remembered being nervous, not excited. It had been a while since he had gone out with a civilian. And let’s be honest. He had shitty luck when it came to men and romance.

But Jon had been… healthy, to say the least. He offered Sehun the soundness of mind he needed. A fresher perspective. Normalcy. When he came back from the agency, Jon would be waiting for him with the solace Sehun sought. But it was not enough.

He stepped into the shower and let the water run down his back for a while, recalling the past two years. When he closed his eyes, he saw images of the fight on the roof behind his lids. He took in a sharp breath, ran his fingers through his wet hair, turning off the showerhead.

He stood in front of the mirror after drying himself with a towel and surveyed the dry, jagged scars on his body. When Jon had asked, in horror, where Sehun had gotten them from, he simply told his boyfriend that he would tell him one day. He did not feel like telling Jon another lie. To Jon, Sehun was an ordinary man with an ordinary job, working at an ordinary company. Sehun doubted that Jon would love him if he knew half of Sehun’s history.

Pulling on a white shirt, Sehun tucked it into his blue jeans and rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. He neatened his red hair and fastened a watch around his wrist before he grabbed the car keys and sauntered out of the apartment.

He would have to make it up to Jon when he came home tonight.

* * *

“You’re late,” B.I pointed out when Sehun walked into the room. Jaehyun was already seated at the table. Julien was perched on the edge of the table, rubbing his bearded jaw.

“Sorry,” muttered Sehun, sinking into a seat. “I had kind of a… rough night.”

“Spare us the details,” said Jaehyun.

Sehun rolled his eyes at him. “I did not mean that.”

“Okay, pay attention,” interrupted Julien, sliding the tablets over to Jaehyun and Sehun. “We got some information out of Harlan earlier today.”

“What did he divulge?” asked Sehun.

“His works are always kept on the DL,” said B.I. “That is why he has a great demand on the dark market. His heists are smooth, his jailbreaks can never be predicted. And he leaves almost no breadcrumbs behind. But he is not the one who’s doing all the dirty work.”

“Now, we expect that Red Peril wants Harlan’s resources for a heist,” said Julien. “A small heist, which is Harlan’s field of expertise. You two will go in tomorrow and meet Red Peril. Whatever they demand, agree to it.”

“What, we’re going to perform heists now, if that is what Red Peril wants from Harlan?” asked Jaehyun.

“Exactly,” said Julien. “We are going to do exactly what they want Harlan to do. Otherwise, we are not going to get much further. We need to catch Red Peril red-handed. What is their next plan? Their next move.”

Red Peril. A massive yet silent terrorist organization that had already pulled four monumental terrorist attacks in four different states. Its members were sleeper cells, which made it incredibly difficult for the agency to track them down. It could be anyone. It could be someone you brushed shoulders with on your way somewhere. It could be your local baker. Your teacher. Your neighbour. They waited and waited for their orders from the leader of the organization. Harlan was their stepping stone to get to Red Peril.

“Sehun will pose as Jude Beckett,” said B.I, pointing to the tablet Sehun was holding. “You will find all the particulars you need about him on there. Which isn’t much. Red Peril is probably not going to care about who you but what you can do.”

“What if we can’t handle their demand?” asked Jaehyun.

“You retreat,” said Julien. “At all costs. Do not try to be a hero. You get your asses back to home base and we’ll re-strategize.”

“Where is this meeting?” asked Sehun.

B.I hesitated to answer. “Japan,” he sighed at length. Sehun’s heart stopped beating for a second.

“You’re going to send us to Japan?” asked Jaehyun. “Just the both of us?”

“We are trying to prevent conspicuousness, Agent Jung,” said Julien. “In the past, we have trusted too many people, which we should not have. Red Peril administrates with sleeper cells. We cannot afford to trust our own people. And it will be the _three_ of you. B.I will be going along.”

“If we’re voting, I would like to vote myself out,” said B.I. “Japan is like the nerve centre of Red Peril.”

“You’re going,” said the General. “Now, when you’re there, you will be welcomed by one of our associate agencies. You will get your arms, your slugs, your munitions, your whatnots there.”

Sehun found it difficult to breathe, his throat closing around a thick lump that made the back of his eyes sting. Japan… After all this time, all these years, he was being forced to set foot in the place he had been avoiding for so long.

“General,” he called when he finally found his voice again. Julien already knew what had Sehun looking so grievous and unsettled.

“Agent Oh,” said Julien before Sehun could continue. “You are the one I trust the most in this agency.”

“None taken,” B.I muttered while Jaehyun coughed.

Julien ignored them as he leaned forward and took hold of Sehun’s hand. Though he and Julien had once shared a hot affair during Sehun’s self-destructive phase, they only had a professional relationship now. But every now and then, when Sehun needed a pick up, Julien was there for him as a friend.

“I understand why you might be reluctant, but I need you,” Julien told Sehun. He retrieved his hand and rose from his seat. “It’s been years, Agent Oh. I need you to do your work.”

Sehun lowered his gaze. Julien was right. That was a closed chapter now. And he had a job to do.

Jaehyun was staring at him with his eyes narrowed and eyebrows drawn in something like curiosity and confusion. Sehun doubted that the new recruit would not have heard muckrakes about Sehun’s past in the agency, but perhaps he had been oblivious.

“I believe you have flights to catch tomorrow evening,” Julien said as he started for the door. “Don’t mess it up.”

As soon as the General was out of the room, Jaehyun sat up straighter in his chair and said, “What was that all about?”

Sehun did not answer as he stood up.

“You don’t want to go to Japan or something?” asked Jaehyun. “What’s in Japan?”

B.I kept mum with his head lowered, pretending to be busy with his tablet.

“I have to get going,” said Sehun. “I have a bunch of Rank-1s and Rank-2s to train.”

* * *

_“I still remember how you made me run around the compound in the name of training. I remember when you stumbled after kissing me for the first time. I don’t know if that was an act as well, but it meant a lot to me. Every time you ran away, I’m not sure if that was part of your plan to play hard to get, but I wanted to hold you closer, pull you back to me. I thought it was too good to be true. That you were too good to be true. It hurts to think that all those times, I was a fool. You must have laughed real hard at me. But that Kai isn’t real. He was full of lies and tricks. You. You’re a bastard. A cruel, selfish bastard. But you’re real. The moment I pull myself away from you, you immediately do something to drag my attention back. You wanted me to look at you. You kill my friends, but I don’t know how many more reasons you might have for that because apparently, you never do anything without solid reasons. You keep on hurting me with your words. You keep on hurting me with everything you do. But by the end of the day, you come by my apartment to watch me sleep. I can’t understand you, Kai. Why do you have so much fun in torturing yourself and me? You’re a literal headbanger.”_

Sehun had meant every word he had said in that moment.

When he entered the apartment, he found Jon on the couch, watching a football match.

“Jon,” Sehun called, shutting the door behind him before he approached his boyfriend, who was clearly expecting an apology.

“Wait,” said Jon, surprising Sehun, as he rose from the couch. “I’m sorry.”

Sehun stilled and blinked at his boyfriend vacantly. “I should… be the one who’s sorry.”

“No,” Jon let out with a lopsided smile. “I should not have pushed. You told me that you have a hard time opening yourself up to people. I should have known to not to push.”

He closed the distance between them and took hold of Sehun’s face in his hands. His green eyes bored into Sehun’s for a moment. His faintly dark skin often reminded Sehun of another, whose taste still lingered in his mouth to this day.

“I know you need more time to tell me more about yourself,” said Jon. “I am willing to wait because I know that you are worth it, Sehun. And I know you will tell me yourself when you are ready.”

Sehun lowered his gaze, his lips stretching into a trembly grin. “How did I get so lucky,” he muttered in a breath.

Jon pressed a kiss to his forehead and wrapped his arms around Sehun’s body. “Just know that I love you.”

It unnerved Sehun a little. Jon’s affection for him was real. He was just not so sure how real his own affection for Jon was.

“Look,” he said, interrupting the moment as he pulled away from his boyfriend’s embrace. “I need to go away for a couple of weeks for a business trip. I leave tomorrow.”

Jon’s eyes widened. “What? That’s… sudden.”

“Yeah,” said Sehun, rubbing the back of his neck. “A colleague of mine backed out, so I have to fill in. I’ll be back earlier if I could manage.”

“Where to?”

“Uh… Japan.”

Jon looked a little conflicted. “All right,” he then sighed, collecting Sehun back into his arms. “I suppose we will just have to be together until we’re sick of each other for two weeks.”

Sehun chuckled, throwing his arms around Jon’s broad shoulders. “I guess that is ideal.”

* * *

He stared into the dark of the room, his boyfriend’s soft snores sort of lulling the ambience a little. Jon was fast asleep at his side. But Sehun could not find the rest he needed so badly.

He sat there on the bed, back leaned against the headboard, thinking about why it had troubled him so much to hear that he would be going to Japan today. Well, the reason was obvious, but _why_? Had he not moved on? Had he not put everything in the past already?

He had. He had.

Kai was nothing but a horror of the past now. So, why couldn’t Sehun forget about him?

Was it guilt? He had been the reason for why Kai was at the Central Directorate. The cynosure of all capital punishments. The centre of criminal justice. The base where criminals were coerced into divulging valuable information through the cruellest, most murderous of means. Over the years, Sehun had avoided any lowdown about Kai. He did not want to even know if the man was dead or alive.

As much as he attempted at keeping Kai and all that was related to him at bay by eschewing everything that concerned the bastard, his dreams and memories were stubbornly persistent at reminding him of how much he had loved Kai.

Toxic.

“Sehun?” Jon called in a hoarse voice, rousing from his sleep. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you asleep?”

Sehun shook his head and carded his fingers through his boyfriend’s dark hair. “I’m fine. Go back to sleep. I just wanted to get some water.”

Jon dropped his face back onto the pillow and fell asleep immediately. He was tired. Sehun climbed out of the bed and made his way to the kitchen. As he let the tap water run, he grabbed a glass and gripped it tightly in a hand, leaning over the sink counter.

_“I feel you, I love you, I hurt you when I touch you. When I fuck you_,” he remembered Kai saying as the psycho had him pinned to a wall. “_And I love it so much_.”

“Shit,” Sehun hissed under his breath as the glass he was holding shattered in his forceful grip. He quickly grabbed the kitchen towel to clean it up with a bead of tear rolling down his cheek.

No, he would not be as weak as he was when his love for Avin failed so painfully. He was not going to forgive Kai. He was not going to pity him. Kai deserved what he was suffering. Sehun would try to his very last breath to forget that son of a bitch.


	3. Chapter 3

# T H E B L U E S O F T H E H E A R T

“Welcome! Welcome!” cried the woman, who was standing in the receiving crowd with a signboard that bore Sehun, Jaehyun, and B.I’s names. She waved at them excitedly as she saw them approach her.

“Akane?” asked B.I, surveying her appearance from head to toe. She had her dark hair tied in a high ponytail and sported a pair of glasses.

“Yes,” she replied in a high-pitched voice, holding a hand out to B.I. “And you must be B.I.”

“I am,” said B.I. “How’d you figure that?”

“You do not own the physique and traits of a field agent,” she said, shoving the glasses up the bridge of her nose. B.I frowned, wincing a little. “Sorry. I am the agency’s deductionist. I work with intel. And… we were sent your profiles by your agency.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Akane,” said Sehun, offering her a smile, although he was rather curious about her character. She seemed a little fidgety and jumpy. “I’m Sehun.”

“I know. How is your father?” She grinned.

Sehun licked his lips. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Can we get the hell out of here?” spat Jaehyun. “I am starving.”

“Of course,” blurted out Akane. “I will drive you to your lodgings, and we are expecting your presence at the agency later.”

As they made their way out of the airport, Sehun glanced to Jaehyun and muttered, “Why don’t you try and be a little bit nicer?”

“Why? Is she cutting my cheques?” Jaehyun said. Sehun smirked, shaking his head.

* * *

The apartment was small, dingy and dirty but discreet. Inconspicuousness was valued more than comfort during missions. Besides, Sehun had been sent on assignments that warranted nearly zero comfort.

“If you need anything, I will be just a ring away,” said Akane as B.I hurried to one of the bedrooms to grab the best bed in the apartment.

“Akane,” called Sehun. “When will we be getting our munitions?”

“I will pick you up around 7 p.m. and drive you to the agency, where you will find everything that you would need for your mission, as per your General’s orders.”

Sehun bowed his head. “Thanks.”

“It’s my pleasure.” She stopped to glance over to Jaehyun, who was looking around the apartment with a sour twist in his expression. He dragged a finger over the top of the dining table and swept up some dust. Groaning, he then dumped his bag onto the couch and yanked the curtains apart.

“Anything to eat around here?” asked Jaehyun, turning to face Akane with a scowl.

Blushing, she lowered her head. “There are some shops downstairs, where you can get some food.”

“We’ll manage, Akane,” said Sehun. “That will be all.”

Nodding, she then took her leave, shutting the door behind her.

After locking the door, Sehun set his bags aside in one of the two bedrooms and went looking for the bathroom. Later, he wended his way to the kitchen and checked the refrigerator. It was empty. And so were the cupboards, except for the couple of pots and pans, and some plates and glasses.

“All right,” sighed Sehun as B.I joined them again in the living area. “Who wants to go with me to the grocery store?”

“I’m good,” said B.I.

Jaehyun pushed himself up from the couch and said, “I’ll go. The longer I stay here, the angrier I get.”

Sehun ordered B.I to lock up while they were away. One could never be too careful on missions. Something told Sehun that Jaehyun had not been on many missions where they had to live part of the civilian life to progress further into the assignment. He needed to have a talk with him.

As they made their way down the staircase, he looked over at the glower etched on Jaehyun’s face and said, “What’s wrong?”

Jaehyun said nothing. Probably because he knew that whatever that had him upset was not something he could grouse about.

“Look,” said Sehun at length when they reached the bottom of the last flight of stairs. “I know that this isn’t ideal. But you’re not here for a honeymoon, okay?”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Then what’s the long face for?”

“I don’t know,” said Jaehyun. “It’ll pass. Just… give me time.”

Sehun blinked at him confusedly, but he decided to not to push the man any further. Over the few months he had been working with Jaehyun, though not subsequently, he had noticed that Jaehyun had trouble with mood swings. Somehow, this had not appeared on his records. Maybe it was not that bad.

“What is the plan?” Jaehyun asked as they walked along the shop lots, looking for a convenience store.

“The meeting’s tomorrow,” said Sehun. “We have to prepare for it. Now, we will be going in without much information or details. So, we will have to improvise. A lot.”

“You have done that before?”

“Yeah,” sighed Sehun.

“With a different partner?”

Sehun pressed his lips into a thin line, sliding his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He glanced around the neighbourhood. It certainly looked like a dicey area, but then again, it promised the unobtrusiveness they needed.

“Yeah.”

They crossed the road to get to the other side of the street. “Was he also a Rank-3?”

Sehun’s chest tightened. As much as he wanted Jaehyun to stop talking about this, he knew that he needed to create the rapport he had yet to achieve with his new partner. He could not afford to alienate Jaehyun any longer than he already had.

“No,” he said. “He was a senior agent. Far… more senior.”

“Oh,” muttered Jaehyun. “And you’ve been on such big missions together?”

Sehun nodded. “One. Singapore.”

“Only one? Did he not last long?”

Sehun found it difficult to speak for a minute. He shook his head.

“How did the mission go? In Singapore,” asked Jaehyun.

“It was a success. A pretty big one, actually.”

He thought of the mission. He recalled everything that had happened during that mission. He wanted to throw himself off of a bridge in that moment.

He checked his phone and returned some of Jon’s messages.

“What happened to him?” Jaehyun continued to ask, as though he wanted to figure Sehun out.

These things Sehun could never bring himself to talk about before. His throat always closed as if a noose was tightening around his neck. But he wanted to let go now. He wanted to slowly attempt to heal.

“He was a traitor,” Sehun told Jaehyun with a blank expression and a dead tone. “He betrayed everyone who cared about him. I… turned him in. Now, he rots in prison.”

Jaehyun had stopped in his tracks, Sehun noticed after a moment. When he looked back at the man, Jaehyun frowned at him. “Are you serious?”

Shrugging, Sehun turned and proceeded toward the store.

* * *

Later that night, when they returned to the apartment again with the weapons and necessities they needed for the mission tomorrow, Akane tagged along with them.

“Any idea where _Tsubaki_ _Nightclub_ is?” B.I asked Akane as he scrolled through the details of the meeting Harlan had provided on his tablet.

“Oh, yes,” said Akane, taking a seat on the couch, sidling next to Jaehyun, who was cramming down another bowl of ramen noodles. “Quite a sketchy nightclub. A lot of under-the-counter deals go on there.”

“Can you get us there tomorrow?” asked B.I.

“Sure. Just tell me when. I am here to please you.” She stopped herself and coughed, adjusting her glasses as her cheeks turned red. She pinned Jaehyun with a sidelong glance while Jaehyun did nothing to notice her advances.

“We will keep you notified,” said Sehun as he picked up a gun and examined it before looking through the magazine storage.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Akane then said. “But you are… here for… Red Peril, aren’t you?”

Sehun, Jaehyun, and B.I said nothing for a moment, unsure of how much Julien had already divulged to Akane’s agency.

“It’s okay. You can trust me,” she said, smiling.

“Usually when people say that, they end up stabbing me in the back,” scoffed Sehun. Jaehyun gave him a look. “But we’re not allowed to discuss our mission with outsiders, Akane. Hope you understand.”

“Oh, yes, of course. I just thought that I should warn you. We have been trying for ages too, to get our hands on Red Peril. But every time we get a lead, it just… gets us nowhere. As soon as Red Peril finds out that you’re up to something, they destroy every trace there is, leaving us back at square one.”

“Maybe things will be different this time.”

“Will we be carrying these with us?” asked Jaehyun, pointing at the guns. Sehun shook his head.

“Chances of them checking us at the entrance is high.”

“So, we’re basically walking into the lion’s den without weapon.”

“The greatest weapon you have is your brain, Agent Jung,” said Sehun. “We’ll make do.”

He rose from where he sat on the armrest and ambled into the bedroom. He then sat down on the edge of the bed in the room he shared with Jaehyun and dialled Jon’s number.

They spoke for a while. Sehun was relieved to hear Jon’s voice. The worst part of caring for someone was the fear of losing them. Every single second of the day. And Sehun had had quite a bit of experience in losing the people he loved and cared for the most.

He did not know what would happen tomorrow during the mission. He could succeed, he could fail. It was always a gamble. But over the years, he had grown to feel indifferent toward the anticipation. He no longer cared if he lived or died. That was how he had been living for the past many years. Nothing much had changed.

There was still a hole in his heart. A hollowness in his soul. Something he could never fill, no matter how much he tried.

* * *

“We look ridiculous,” said Jaehyun as they approached the nightclub’s back entrance. Sehun looked down at the leather pants he could barely move in. It was B.I’s doing. He insisted that they looked the part they were playing.

“I just hope we will be able to run away in these,” muttered Sehun, facing Jaehyun. “See you inside.”

Nodding, Jaehyun pulled away from him and started for the main entrance of the nightclub while Sehun started walking toward the tall, big bouncers at the back. With their arms crossed, they blocked the path into the nightclub.

“Use the main entrance,” said one of the bouncers.

“I’m here to see someone. My name’s Beckett,” he said, keeping his chin held high and shoulders steady.

The bouncers exchanged a dubious glance. “Who broke the Ming vase?”

_Shit._

Sehun ran his tongue along the lower lip and swallowed before saying, “Ramrod Mustang.”

The bouncer gave his head a curt nod and pushed the door open. He then ushered Sehun inside and steered him into the club. “This way,” he said over the booming music that thundered against the walls, leading Sehun through the place.

When he glanced toward the dancefloor, he spotted Jaehyun walking in through the entrance. Locking gazes for a moment, Jaehyun found a table in the corner and stood by it, keeping his attention on Sehun.

“Stop,” said the bouncer when they eventually reached a private room. He then grabbed Sehun’s arms and yanked him close to frisk him. Finding nothing prohibitable, he bowed his head at Sehun and opened the door for him.

For some odd reason, Sehun had a bad feeling about all of this. He had been on quite a few missions, some even more dangerous than this, before. But he had not felt his heart pound so hard in a long time. He wondered if it were just groundless trepidation or if he sensed something wicked coming his way.

He found a man sitting on one of the chaise lounges in the room. The red and purple lighting along with the hat the stranger was donning made it difficult to make out the man’s face from afar. With his heart in his mouth, Sehun moved closer.

He then took a seat on the opposite chaise lounge and tried survey the man’s face.

“Harlan sent you?” the man asked at length in a deep, gruff voice.

Sehun nodded. “Yes.”

“He makes his deals anonymously I see,” said the man, keeping his head low. “But so do we.”

Sehun knew that saying less always boded well in such situations. But the longer he stayed here, the higher the chances of him being discovered. “Get to the point,” he said.

The man raised his head then and smiled a little. “Frisky.” He was not anyone Sehun recognized. But he had a gnarly scar along the left side of his face.

“Harlan doesn’t like dillydallying. Do you have business for him or not?”

“Very well.” The man pulled out a folder from his suitcase. “It’s a jailbreak task.”

He slid the folder over to Sehun.

“Mr. Beckett, I would love for you to tell your boss that should this jailbreak be carried out successfully, the agreed payment will be transferred to his account forthwith. And I believe some of it has already been paid upfront.”

Sehun took the folder. “When do you need this jailbreak to happen?”

“The sooner you bring him to us, the sooner we will take him out of your hands and bring him to our boss.”

Their boss. That was the one Sehun needed.

“Is it something Harlan can manage?” asked the man. “I don’t think he has ever broken anyone out of the Central Directorate.”

Sehun froze completely for a second, his eyes widening, heart stopping. Then gawking at the other man, he asked, “The… Central Directorate?”

“Think you can handle this? He is of great value to us. I hope dearly that Harlan takes this opportunity to form an alliance with us.”

Sehun looked down at the folder. He had a hard time swallowing his own spit then. Harlan’s minions asked no questions. All that he had to do was gather the information he was supposed to be given and get out of there. If he let anything else slip, things would go south fast.

He brought his head up and gave the man a nod of his head. “I suppose that is all?”

“For now,” said the man. “Bring him to us, by hook or by crook, and you will have our endless gratitude. And that comes with great perquisites in Red Peril. We will not be seeing each other again.”

With that, the man rose from his seat and meandered his way out of the room.

Sehun waited until the coast was clear to open the folder. His heart was pounding in his throat, his hands clammy, fingers trembling. He flipped the folder open and perused the copied form.

Prisoner number 3129. Kim Kai. Convicted for:

  * acts of terrorism against the state.
  * 108 premeditated homicides.
  * plotting against national interests.

And the list went on.

Programmed penalties:

  * electrocution
  * lobotomy
  * barbiturate injections
  * tight confinement
  * immurement

And the list went on too, much to Sehun’s horror.

He felt sick, the nausea pushing whatever that was resting in his stomach up his throat. Panting for air, he grabbed the folder and rushed out of the room. As he hurried out of the nightclub, Jaehyun followed him.

He did not stop until he reached the alley nearby to bend over and retch.

“Sehun?” called Jaehyun as he hurried after him. “God, are you all right?”

Sehun heaved and coughed, clutching at his stomach. Tears that welled up in his tears rolled down his cheeks as he leaned back against the wall of the alley and gasped for breath.

Jaehyun caught hold of his arm and steadied him when his knees almost buckled. “What’s wrong? What happened in there?”

Sehun could not bring himself to speak. Even breathing took so much effort right now.

All this while, he had avoided anything that was related to Kai. Now, all at once, it was thrown in his face. All the horrors. All the sufferings.

“Jesus Christ, are you going through a panic attack?!” rasped Jaehyun, taking hold of Sehun’s shoulders. “Breathe in, breathe out. Calm down.”

Sehun dropped to a crouch and wrapped his arms around his head. It did not help his breathing or his heart that was threatening to jump out of his chest, but he could do nothing else.


	4. Chapter 4

# R E T U R N I N G D A M N A T I O N

“Here,” said Jaehyun, holding out a glass of water. “Drink this.”

Sehun remained stock-still, perched on the edge of the couch, hands clasped over the lower half of his face, as he stared at the empty wall before him. His laboured breathing still made it difficult for him to think straight.

B.I brought a nervous hand to his back before he quickly dropped it as well, realizing that it might not be the kind of comfort Sehun would appreciate at this moment. They would simply have to wait until it passed.

The thing was, Sehun was not sure that it would ever pass. This. This nightmare that would continue to haunt for as long as he worked at the agency. He had tried to put it past everything, but even if he wanted to get away from it, it was not loosening its clutch on him.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Jaehyun placed the glass on the coffee table and plumped on the armrest beside Sehun. “You want to talk now?” he asked.

Sehun dropped his face in his hands and drew in a sharp breath. His heart was still thundering in his chest, threatening to break out. How could someone leave such an unhealable wound? How could this treacherous thing called love scar someone so bad? It seemed impossible to even think about it, but Sehun was living it, every single day.

Perhaps he should have walked away from everything long ago. Perhaps he should have closed this chapter while he still could have. He could have settled for a normal, peaceful life with Jon. But he was not sure that he would quite fit in with that life. This was the only place where he belonged.

“Did the man who came to see you hurt you or something?” Jaehyun asked the same question he had asked when they were in the taxi and then again when he was dragging Sehun up the stairs of the apartment building.

Sehun finally raised his head and wiped his face with his palms. “No,” he said shakily. Then picking up the file from the coffee table, he handed it to B.I. “This… This is what… Red Peril wants from Harlan.”

He then shot up from the couch and wobbled his way toward the window for some fresh air.

“What’s in the file?” asked Jaehyun confusedly as B.I flipped through the folder.

“Shit,” B.I let out eventually. “What does… Red Peril want Harlan to do with him?”

“They want to break him out of the Central Directorate,” Sehun muttered, a lump choking his throat.

“Why? Who is he?” asked Jaehyun.

B.I closed the folder again and rubbed his temples. “It’s, um, someone we knew.”

Jaehyun arched an eyebrow. “Like a former agent?”

“Yeah,” replied B.I. “That and… a bit more.” He glanced at Sehun with a sorry look then. “Sehun was the one who had him arrested.”

Jaehyun blinked at B.I and then at Sehun. For a few minutes, he did nothing but just stare with a perplexed expression. “This was the guy you worked with,” he then said at length. “The traitor.”

Sehun averted his gaze and looked out the window, his chest tightening with twenty kinds of ache.

“We have to tell Julien,” said B.I. “Something tells me Julien would want us to proceed with the mission and bust him out.”

Sehun turned to them with a vicious glower then. “We will do no such thing,” he spa through his grit teeth. “He is getting what he deserved! He deserves to rot in jail.” He tried to keep the tears from falling from his eyes as he spoke so irascibly. “We put him there for the crimes he had committed and for those he would have if he were still out there. We can’t bring him out and hand him over to Red Peril with a ribbon tied around him.”

B.I rose from the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sehun, are you this upset because you _don’t_ want to break him out or because you… now have the possibility to be able to get him out of there?”

Sehun gawked at him stupidly for a moment. Then clenching his jaw, he lunged at B.I, grabbing hold of B.I’s shirt. “I do not like what you’re insinuating.”

“That’s enough. Come on,” Jaehyun groaned, pulling B.I away from Sehun. “Look. Let’s just try and get a hold of Julien. And we’ll do what he wants us to do.”

“This Red Peril thing is bigger than your inner conflicts, Sehun,” said B.I with a deep frown. “We have to put a stop to them while we still can. But if you are not up to the task, then just step down. But you will be admitting to the fact that you haven’t moved on.”

Sehun balled his hands into fists then. “Don’t assume shit about me, B.I. You don’t know anything.”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “This is a mission. This is your _job. _Julien had entrusted you with it. For you to lead it. If even… seeing K’s name on a piece of paper throws you for a loop, then why are you here?”

Sehun’s hands loosened as all fight drained for him. B.I was right. Why must anything about Kai bother him anymore. He had been the one to turn Kai. He had done it willingly. It had been the right thing to do. He should not feel such despair over it.

“Sehun,” B.I then said in a calmer tone, closing the distance between them. He took hold of Sehun’s arms and said, “You can do this. He is just a small part of this big scheme. Trust me, you would feel terrible if you backed out now. You have done a lot. You are a different man than you were when you first joined the agency. Believe in yourself. We all need you.”

Jaehyun dropped back onto the couch and picked up the folder. “Damn. He really does deserve to rot in jail,” he muttered under his breath.

B.I turned to him, scowling. “You are not helping.”

“I’m just saying,” said Jaehyun with a shrug. “What would Red Peril want to do with someone as bad as this guy?”

B.I walked back to the couch and picked up his tablet. “I will contact Julien right away.”

“He had… resources,” Sehun said in a hoarse voice, leaning heavily against a wall. “He knew a lot of terrorist organizations. He had quite a bit of useful contacts. When Aguantin was demolished, I doubt all of these resources would have died with it. Could Red Peril want him back for them?”

“I would say so,” muttered B.I. “Who would not want to get their hands on one of the most notorious heads of a terrorist organization? He could get them wherever they want, especially since Red Peril wants to get to the top.”

“So, we will be serving them national anarchy on a silver platter by handing this Kai guy over to them,” said Jaehyun.

“We would not be doing that,” said B.I. “It’s a bait, don’t you see? We use Kai as a bait. To get to Red Peril.”

“Well, would he agree to it?” scoffed Jaehyun.

B.I looked at Sehun then.

“I’m pretty sure he would try and kill us and get to Red Peril himself,” said Sehun, clenching his eyes shut for a moment.

“He would not kill _you_,” said B.I.

“Why not?” Jaehyun asked. “I mean, if I were arrested by my own partner, I would want to kill him first as soon as I get out of jail.”

“You don’t know their history.”

“History? What history?”

“B.I,” Sehun sighed. “I’m very tired. Just… let me know if Julien answers.”

With that, he wandered into the bedroom. Without even taking his shoes off, he collapsed onto the bed and wondered if B.I was right again. Would Kai not want to get even if he had the chance? Would he not want to wrap his fingers around Sehun’s neck and feel the bones crack under them? Would he not want to kill Sehun slowly in the most painful way possible? Someone as psychotic as Kai probably had an even worse plan to get his revenge. Kai had betrayed everyone, yes. But Sehun also had betrayed him in the end.

* * *

It took Julien a while to get back to them with an answer. When he finally did over a coded message, Sehun was unable to turn a hair for moments.

“So, this is happening,” said Jaehyun, taking a bite of his sandwich the next morning. “We are breaking a prisoner out of the Central Bloody Directorate.”

“We are not exactly breaking him out,” said B.I, typing away on his personal computer. “The agency has requested a conditional quarantine for Kai for 13 hours. Now, during this time, he will be out of the Central Directorate and will be transported to one of remote detainment centres. I would not be surprised if he is guarded. So, our job would be to get past those guards and nab him when he reaches the HQ. Now, getting past those guards would not be a difficult thing to do if we show them our IDs from the agency. We will be the one to inspect Kai’s current state to be able to report to the agency. The problem is getting Kai out of there without drawing too much attention to ourselves.”

Sehun scrubbed his face with his bare palms. “How do we do it?”

“I was thinking of tasers,” said B.I.

“You want us to zap the guards?” asked Jaehyun.

“No, I meant Kai. I will hack into their IT system and momentarily disable the surveillance cameras.”

“Would we not get on the Central Directorate’s radar if we do that?”

“Yes, we would,” sighed B.I. “But as usual, the agency will take the responsibility for all of your casualties in the mission. This would not be the first time you will be getting yourselves in trouble.”

“But this is the Central Directorate we’re talking about,” said Jaehyun. “I don’t want them wringing my balls for busting one of their lifers out.”

“Quit being such a baby,” groaned B.I. “Collateral damages are quite common on missions like this. But when we get our hands on Red Peril, it will all be worth it.”

“He’s right,” said Sehun. “This is not going to be easy, but Julien and the Marshal will look out for us.” He paused to fish his ringing phone out of his pocket. Staring at the unknown caller ID for a moment, he answered the call.

“Sehun?” Jon called on the other end of the line.

“Jon?”

“Surprise!” the man exclaimed excitedly. “Guess where I am? I’m in Tokyo!”

All blood drained from Sehun’s face in that moment. “What?”

“I’m heading toward the hotel you said you’re staying at.”

“What?”

“I missed you too much. I just hopped on a plane and here I am!”

“Shit,” Sehun let out under his breath, jumping over the coffee table, knocking over a few things, to grab his jacket. Then frantically pulling it on, he started for the door. “I’m not there right now! Wait for me in the lobby!”

“Oh. All right.”

“Okay, gotta run. Bye.”

“See you soo—”

Sehun hung up and quickly dialled for a cab. “I have to go,” he blurted out to B.I and Jaehyun.

“Sehun, if Kai’s parole gets approved, he comes out tomorrow evening,” said B.I.

“I will be here before that. Jon is here.” Fuck, why on earth was he here?!

“Jon?” asked Jaehyun. “Your boyfriend? He followed you all the way to Japan? Wow. Talk about being clingy.”

“Shut up,” Sehun muttered at him, rolling his eyes as he rushed out of the apartment.

* * *

Sehun barely got out of the cab before he started running toward the hotel lobby. He was nearly out of breath when he found Jon seated on one of the chaise lounges, smiling at the lady playing the piano.

“Hey,” Sehun called out, sucking in deep breaths. Jon looked to him at once and shot up to his feet.

“Sehun!” Leaving his bags on the floor, he hurried to Sehun’s side and gave him a tight hug. Sehun was quick to pull away from the embrace.

“What are you doing here?” The question had come out harsher than he had intended it to.

Jon frowned. “I thought you’d be happy to see me here.”

“I’m here for work, Jon,” Sehun sighed. “Which I had to leave in the middle to come and see you.”

“Oh… I’m sorry about that,” Jon murmured, scratching the back of his head. “I just thought it would be a nice surprise.”

Sehun exhaled heavily and took hold of Jon’s hands. “It is. It is a… nice surprise. But I’m just… so busy at work. I’m not sure if I can spend much time with you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Jon, smiling again. “I will wait until you’re done with work. There’s a lot of sightseeing to do around here. I’ll keep myself entertained.”

“It could take a few days,” said Sehun. “Some nights, I can’t even come back here.”

Jon nodded. “I understand. I will stay out of your way, I promise. I will get my own room. Just let me know when you’re back, and I’ll take you out.”

Sehun could not help a smile then. Jon could be incredibly sweet sometimes that he almost made Sehun feel something. “That would be great.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss on Jon’s cheek. “I do have time now. Do you want to check in, and then we can grab lunch?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

Lunch took longer than Sehun had expected it to. But it was just so full of lies. Jon asked too many unexpected questions, and Sehun struggled to answer them all with lies. But he managed. They even shared a long, desperate kiss when they said goodbye. Sehun promised to call Jon when he was done with work.

B.I, Jaehyun and Akane were having a heated discussion when he returned to the apartment that evening.

“Oh, finally,” Jaehyun grunted. “You’re back.”

“I have to move into the hotel,” Sehun sighed. “Jon would start suspecting otherwise.”

The others blinked at him as he peeled the jacket off and took a seat on one of the couches. “Who’s Jon?” inquired Akane.

“Sehun’s clingy boyfriend,” said Jaehyun.

“He is not clingy,” Sehun said tiredly. “He is actually quite sweet.”

“I never thought that was your type,” B.I mused, looking back to his tablet. Sehun scowled at him lightly before he glanced to the weapons laid out on the coffee table. There were tasers and a couple of Glocks 19s.

“So, it’s really happening?” asked Sehun.

“Yes,” said B.I. “Julien wants us to go on with it. We can always hand Kai back to the CD when we’re done using him as bait.”

Sehun’s stomach churned at the thought. Kai’s punishment might be doubled if he were to return to the Central Directorate again.

“Akane will be waiting for us at the back of the detention centre with our weapons.”

“I should get going. Let me know if you need anything else,” said Akane. As she rose to her feet, she looked at Jaehyun with a coy grin before she let herself out.

“Is it just me or does she have a thing for you?” Sehun told Jaehyun.

Jaehyun tore his gaze away from the guns and pinned Sehun with a ridiculous grimace. “What?”

Sehun smirked. “She totally likes you.”

“No, she doesn’t. She’s a nerd.”

“And what’s wrong with nerds?” asked B.I, elbowing Jaehyun in the arm.

Jaehyun pulled a face. “I don’t get into bed with nerds. They talk too much, and they don’t know shit.”

“You clearly haven’t gotten into bed with the right nerd,” said B.I, rolling his eyes.

“Why? Are you offering?”

“Let’s go through the plan one more time, guys,” Sehun said as B.I sneered at Jaehyun spitefully.

That night, Sehun could not sleep. He picked up the phone to text Jon, but then he realized that he was seeking solace from his boyfriend for the pain his former lover was inflicting on him. Even now, even when Kai was no longer in his life. Could he even call his former _lover_? What would it have been like if he and Kai had lived the life of a civilian? He remembered the time they had gone shopping and eating out together. It was all false, but it still remained as one of Sehun’s fondest memories of Kai.

“You all right?” Jaehyun asked in the dark.

Sehun shifted to lie on his side so that he could look at Jaehyun. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Because we are about bust your old boyfriend out of jail tomorrow. Surely that must have your head in a grinder.”

Sehun swallowed hard. “How did you know he was…”

“I’m not an idiot. I can put two and two together.”

“B.I told you, didn’t he?”

Jaehyun huffed. “Yeah. Besides, it’s so obvious you still have feelings for him.”

Sehun turned on his back and glared at the ceiling in the darkness. “I don’t. I don’t feel anything for anyone anymore.”

“Does Jon know that?”

Sehun kept mum.

* * *

“I cannot believe we’re doing this,” hissed B.I as they walked into the detention centre. They were asked for their identification at the reception before they were frisked by the guards for any weapons.

“This isn’t a fool-proof plan,” said Jaehyun. “There’s a sixty percent chance of this failing miserably and us ending up in jail.”

“Relax,” Sehun said. “We made this far, haven’t we?”

The hallways were mostly deserted, except for the few officials rushing back and forth with files in their hands. There were not even as many guards as Sehun had expected.

“Okay,” said B.I when they reached the end of the hall. “I’m going to go and find someplace quiet, so that I can get to work. You two get to the quarantine room.”

They each planted their earpiece into their ears before going their separate ways. Sehun clenched his clammy hands, trying to keep them from trembling too much. His heart was pounding in his throat, his stomach twisting in all kinds of pain.

He had to keep his wits about him right now.

When they finally reached the quarantine room, Jaehyun opened the door. There were two guards awaiting them in there and an official.

“Agent Oh and Agent Jung,” the man said, holding his hand out. Sehun and Jaehyun shook it respectively. “You are much younger than I thought you’d be.”

“Our experience speaks for itself,” said Sehun. “Is the… convict here?”

“I am surprised your agency is still interested in his wellbeing.”

“We are just here to make sure that the Central Directorate is doing its job,” said Jaehyun. “So, just a few examinations, and we’ll be on our way.”

“We require the room to be empty,” Sehun added.

“The guards will remain here,” said the official sternly. “Orders from the authority itself.”

Sehun clenched his jaw. “Very well. Where is… he?”

The room was clearly also an investigation room. The official turned to the large pane of mirror in the room and pointed to it. “I will leave you to it, then. You have 10 hours with him. Interrogate him, examine him, rip him open as you will. He will tell you nothing.”

With a conceited smirk, the man then stomped out of the room.

Sehun turned to the mirror, heartbeat quickening, breathing turning ragged. His throat closed around a thick lump of anxiety.

“I’m in their system now,” B.I muttered through the comm. “You may start doing your thing.”

Sehun did not take his eyes away from the mirror. And then the lights in the room on the other side of the mirror were turned on.

He first squinted the bright white walls of the room.

And then he looked to the single chair to which a man was strapped to. His wrists were shackled to the armrests of the chair. There was a metal device covering the lower half of his face, mouth and jaw. He looked pale and sick, as though he were on the brink of death. Blue veins protruded on the sides of his neck and on his arms. Sehun felt his knees shake.

“Is that him?” Jaehyun asked in a coarse whisper at his side, eyebrows furrowed into a frown.

Sehun did not dare breathe as Kai slowly raised his head and looked at the glass window, his eyes sharper than they had ever been. “Yes,” Sehun let out, staring at Kai unblinkingly.

A guard stepped into the next room momentarily to unlock the muffling device from Kai’s mouth. “You might want to keep your smart-mouth attitude in check if you don’t want to your head banged against a wall again,” the guard warned before he returned to the room Sehun and Jaehyun were in.

Kai did not take his eyes off Sehun. It did not seem like he was breathing either. Then slowly, the corners of his chapped lips quirked up into a sinister smirk.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said in a surprisingly cool tone.

Sehun fought hard to keep standing on his feet as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Kai licked his smirking lips, his sadistic, psychotic eyes burning into Sehun’s soul. Sehun saw the hunger for vengeance in them. He saw betrayal in them. He saw despair in them. Then in a low voice and through his grit teeth, Kai said, “Missed me, baby?”


	5. Chapter 5

# P R I S O N B R E A K

Sehun searched for any hint of shock or surprise and found, disappointingly, none. Apart from a cold, cutting gaze that was brimming with a sangfroid that only Kai could ever display even during the most dangerous situations. Not even a life-threatening sitch could falter that smug smile of his. It was as though nothing in this world had the power to daunt him, and under no circumstance would he let his fright show. He feared no danger, he feared no death. One would either have to be a god or a complete madman to be that confident. Kai was a madman. No question there. But Sehun knew he was not only that. He had seen the human side of Kai, too. The side that Kai had always tried to conceal underneath his deranged, sadistic façade. Except that Sehun knew that it was not all just a façade. Kai was wired that way. He was simply… many things.

Even so, somewhere in the deepest, darkest corner of Sehun’s heart, he had hoped to see Kai’s determination and complacency demolished, his spirits wounded for good, his face paling as his eyes met Sehun again for the first time in a very long time. Instead, Kai faced him with the same smug look he had left Sehun with on their last meeting, even though he was no longer the same man.

His complexion resembled that of a corpse. Bluish veins were visible underneath his pasty skin. His hair was longer now, his jaw dusted with a faint stubble, his fatigued eyes red. He looked too much like a dead man for someone who was smiling with such complacency.

Cruel, bitter memories flooded Sehun’s mind then. He momentarily felt like he was caught in a deadly whirlpool as images of him being kissed by Kai for the first time, of them sharing the same bed for the first time, trying to clumsily hold hands for the first time swam around him. Did Kai ever think of those moments? They could have been all just an act when they happened, but before it had all ended between them, Kai had confessed that he wanted Sehun with him, at his side. He had dreamed up this sickening yet wonderful future with Sehun. And many times, Sehun had wondered what if he had not turned Kai in. What if they had stayed together, free and dangerous? It would have been them against the world. Side by side.

But it would have been wrong. Kai was the definition of wrong, wasn’t he?

Although there was a certain level of coolness in Kai’s eyes, there was something else in them. Something contradictory. A fire. An anger. And the way he smiled with a clenched jaw had Sehun shuddering.

This was not at all how he had thought he would meet Kai again. In fact, he had wanted to believe that they would never cross paths ever again. He had wanted to believe it, and he had tried to so badly. But something had always told him that this was not the end for them.

“Sehun,” Jaehyun called for the fourth time, taking hold of Sehun’s arm. “Are you all right?”

Sehun was not even sure that he was breathing. As he finally managed to tear his gaze away from Kai, he looked to Jaehyun. “Yeah,” he let out shakily and glanced at Kai again. Kai did not take his eyes off Sehun.

“What’s going on?” B.I asked through the comm. “Is everything okay? I have a visual of the room, but I don’t see you guys moving. Come on. We don’t have a lot of time, guys! Get him out of there!”

Jaehyun licked his lips and turned to one of the guards. “What’s the plan?” he muttered to Sehun.

The two guards looked at them with a dubious look etched on their faces.

Sehun met Kai’s eyes for one last time before he tried to get a grip of himself. He had seen so much in the last few years. He was not going to let Kai break him down so easily. Not again. Sehun balled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to show Kai and everyone that he was over it. Kai would not hurt him again. He would let it happen.

With a fist cocked, he turned in one sharp move and lunged at one of the guards while Jaehyun promptly tackled the other. As soon as Sehun’s fist landed on the guard’s face, he caught the other man’s hand that was reaching for the taser at his hip. Keeping a firm grip on the wrist, Sehun shifted on his feet and planted an elbow into the guard’s face before he quickly went for the stun gun. Ripping it from its holster, he released the man and charged a side of the guard’s neck with it, punching into the trigger.

The guard convulsed uncontrollably for a few seconds before he dropped to the floor, body writhing in pain. Heaving in a breath, Sehun turned to Jaehyun, who had already felled the other guard as well.

“You were slower,” commented Jaehyun, smirking as he tossed the stun gun in his hand.

Sehun ignored the cocky remark and glanced to the glass panel. Kai was watching the entire thing with a smile. It was as though he had seen it all coming and had second-guessed exactly what Sehun would do. Sehun tried not to let anything about Kai bother him or falter his determination. He could not afford it.

“Quick,” he muttered to Jaehyun, crouching down so that he could start stripping the uniform from the guard’s convulsing body. Jaehyun followed his suit.

Once he was clad in the guard’s uniform trousers, jacket and cap, Sehun retrieved that access card and keys from the guard’s belt.

“Get that,” he then told Jaehyun, pointing toward the muffling device in the guard’s possession.

“What is it for?” asked Jaehyun, grabbing it.

“Trust me,” Sehun sighed, starting for the door that led to the next room. “The bastard can never shut up.”

“Oof,” Jaehyun scoffed. “You are really bitter about your ex-boyfriend.”

“He was not my boyfriend,” Sehun murmured, swiping the guard’s card to unlock the door. Boyfriend… sounded so normal and ordinary. And everyone knew that there was nothing normal and ordinary about Kai.

Stepping into the next room, Sehun halted in his tracks for a minute to look at Kai. His heart was galloping thunderously in his chest, which felt as though it were being repeatedly stabbed at. Kai continued to smirk at him, his eyebrows raised slightly. Sehun thought that he might say something, but he did not.

“Sehun!” B.I growled in his ear. “We don’t have the time for all this reminiscing. Just get him and get out of there!”

Sehun swallowed the lump in his throat and moved his numb feet toward Kai. The closer he got, the faster his heart pounded. He realized then that he was… scared.

Which was silly. Sehun had always been reckless. He never cared about dying. In fact, he had tried many times to do it himself. But something about seeing Kai after all this time frightened him more than death ever could.

He tried to muster the courage and seem brave now.

His fingers trembled around the keys as he approached Kai. He kept his other hand close to the stun gun in the pocket. It really did feel like it was a lifetime ago when he had kissed Kai for the last time. But at the same time, he still remembered how it had felt. Seeing Kai again brought all of his memories back.

Kai tilted his head back a little to look up at Sehun in an atrociously arrogant way. He ran his tongue between his lips as he watched Sehun fumble with the keys for a moment.

Keeping his gaze away from Kai’s face, Sehun bent forward and hurriedly unlocked the shackles around the armrest.

A click, and one of Kai’s arms was free.

Without a single second of hesitation, Kai’s hand flung up and caught Sehun’s neck in a vicious grip that nearly crushed the bones. In spite of looking broken, Kai still retained the enormous strength in his grip. A struggling whimper broke from Sehun’s throat. It took him a moment to retaliate.

Seizing Kai’s wrist, Sehun twisted it as hard as he could until Kai released his neck. Then in a fury, Sehun slammed a side of Kai’s face, backhanding it hard enough that he could have cracked a knuckle.

Kai sucked in a breath through his mouth, his lower lip caught between his teeth, and he still smiled. “One,” he said, almost chuckling.

Sehun clenched his fists and jaw before he sprung at Kai, his hand wrapping around Kai’s neck now. “You want to get out of here, don’t you?” Sehun hissed at him, fingers tightening around the neck. “Then fucking behave.”

Kai stared at him unblinkingly for a moment before he whispered, “Two.”

Sehun scowled and spat, “What the hell are you counting for?”

Kai let out a breathy chuckle then. “Well,” he muttered, as though he were sharing a secret with Sehun. “I have to give back, don’t I? I always keep count, my love.”

Sehun felt his heart sink to his stomach as blood drained from his cheeks. His hand loosened around Kai’s neck, and he straightened up, scowl softening into a worried frown.

“We should go,” said Jaehyun, bursting into the room.

“Take the corridor to your left when you get out of there,” B.I said.

Sehun sucked in a breath and wrenched the muffling device out of Jaehyun’s hand before slapping it against Kai’s face. It locked itself in place over the lower half of Kai’s face at once, covering his mouth.

“Here,” Sehun grunted, tossing the shackles over to Jaehyun. “Be ready with the stun gun. This asshole can be unpredictable.”

Kai laughed behind the mouth muffler.

Jaehyun held the stun gun to Kai’s chest as Sehun quickly unlocked the rest of the shackles. As soon as he was done, he grabbed Kai’s shirt and yanked him up to his feet.

Kai staggered forward and fell against Sehun. He was having a hard time standing straight as Sehun fastened the shackles against around his wrists at his back. That was when he looked down at Kai’s feet that were covered in cane marks. Gnarly red and brown stripes were all over his feet, including the soles. How many times could the cane have broken the bones on his feet, Sehun wondered.

“Come on. March,” Jaehyun ordered, grabbing hold of one of Kai’s arm while Sehun hesitated to touch him. He eventually caught the sleeve of Kai’s shirt and yanked him forward to walk.

Kai made no sudden movements as he followed Sehun and Jaehyun out of the room, acutely aware of the stun gun that was pressed to his back. Sehun kept his head down, hiding under the cap as he and Jaehyun steered Kai down the left corridor.

“All right,” B.I said. “Now, take a right when you reach the end of the corridor.”

Although they walked past some of officials in the hallways, no one seemed to suspect a thing. Some of them did slow down to pin Kai with a grimace, though.

They followed B.I’s direction without a single misstep until they finally reached one of the backdoors of the building. While Jaehyun unlocked it with the access card, Sehun held Kai’s arm, his heart thumping in his throat. How could he still remember the heat of Kai’s body like it had all happened yesterday?

Beyond the fence, Sehun spied Akane’s van awaiting them.

“Now, wait for me,” rasped B.I as Sehun and Jaehyun dragged Kai toward the car.

“Where’s B.I?” Akane asked as Jaehyun forced Kai into the back of the van.

“He’s on his way,” Sehun told her as he jumped in the front seat. Akane glanced back at Kai and looked Sehun again worriedly.

“He looks scary,” she said.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Sehun muttered under his breath, fighting the urge to look back at Kai. Removing the cap, he said, “We’re going to have to take him back to the apartment.”

“And keep him there?” asked Jaehyun as he sidled next to Kai, still keeping the stun gun on Kai.

“Yes, we—” Sehun was cut off by the sudden commotion that broke out at the back. When he looked back, Kai was headbutting Jaehyun with a brutal force, knocking him to the floor of the van. Jaehyun quickly recovered, with blood oozing out of his nose, and plunged the stun gun into Kai’s chest.

Sehun gasped and almost reached back but stopped himself as Kai dropped unconscious on the floor.

“God, don’t tell me he’s dead,” Jaehyun groaned, checking for Kai’s pulse. “That was on low volt!”

“You okay?” Sehun asked, crawling to the back of the van to help Jaehyun. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine,” Jaehyun groaned. “What was he thinking? Even if he manages to get out of this van, he was not going to make it past the compound without being noticed.”

Sehun sighed, turning Kai over so that he was lying on his back. “I don’t think he was trying to get away from us.”

“Then why did he attack me for no reason?!”

Kai was completely unconscious. Sehun doubted that he would wake up anytime soon.

“He does a lot of shit for no reason,” Sehun muttered, eyes raking Kai’s face that had been haunting him day and night for the past couple of years.

“Son of a bitch,” Jaehyun spat and wiped the blood on his mouth on the back of his hand.

“Here,” Akane said, handing him some tissues.

As soon as B.I finally joined them, they drove out of the compound as fast as the van could take them.

* * *

“Where should I put him?” Jaehyun grunted as he stumbled into the apartment with Kai slung over one of his shoulders.

“My room?” B.I offered. “It would be convenient to lock him up there.”

As Jaehyun teetered toward the room, Sehun stood in the living room, trying to compose himself. They had to be careful from now on. The Central Directorate would be hunting for them now. Julien would only be able to keep them pacified to some extent. But they had still committed a crime, and Sehun would be better off to watch his back for as long as they were in Japan.

“What now?” Jaehyun asked when he joined Sehun, B.I and Akane in the living room.

“We should let him recuperate for a while,” said B.I. “Maybe feed him? He looks like he hadn’t eaten in ages.’

“We have to contact Red Peril and then wait for our next meeting,” said Sehun. He plumped on the couch and planted his chin in his hands. It still all felt so surreal. Kai was here. He was actually here.

“We have a psychotic terrorist locked up in our home,” said Jaehyun in a sharp whisper. Akane flinched at his side, her dreadful expression hardening. “Something tells me he is not going to be very happy about it.”

“We just broke him out of the most horrific prison in the world,” said B.I. “I think he owes us thanks.”

“He is not free,” Sehun said, scowling. “He goes back in there the instant we get more lead on Red Peril.”

Standing up, he tore the jacket away and started for the room in which Jaehyun had left Kai in. On his way, he pulled his phone out and found some messages and missed calls from Jon. He sighed.

Sometimes, as much as he wanted to believe that he needed some normalcy and peace in his life, it was difficult to maintain a balance. Especially when the life he lived was mostly anything but ordinary.

He found Kai on the bed, limp and asleep, when he entered the room. He did not bother to turn the light on as he shut the door behind him. For a few minutes, he stood by the door and stared at Kai on the bed with bated breath.

This was all very strange. Sehun was having a hard time wrapping his head around everything that was happening.

Then taking a deep breath, he walked over to the side of the bed and fished the keys out of his pocket.

Unfastening the handcuffs, Sehun brought a knee onto the bed to lean forward and lock one of Kai’s wrists to the metal rails of the headboard. As he straightened up, his eyes wandered to the skin exposed by Kai’s raised shirt. He stopped and stared at the swirling patterns inked to Kai’s lower abdomen, along his deep waistlines. Sehun recalled how those tattoos used to drive him crazy. From the first time he had seen them.

Sighing, he then unlocked the muffling device and took it away from Kai’s face. Now, he was staring at Kai’s mouth. Shaking his head, he quickly turned away.

“I’m going to see Jon,” he told the others when he stormed out of the room. “Text me when he wakes up.”


	6. Chapter 6

# R E S P I T E S A N D R E S T O R A T I O N

The Central Directorate would not publicize the fiasco of busting Kai out of there for a few reasons. First, they were a penalizing institution governed by private organizations and agencies, working for a more international interest. While they were more effective than the national justice system, they would not alienate their ‘customers’ by making their failure public. Second, they would not want to attract any attention. Most of their sentences were illegal. They were nothing more than a P-Shard on a global scale.

Still, the fact that getting an incorrigible criminal out of there had been so easy somewhat unnerved Sehun. It should not have been so easy. Did they just get lucky or was the Central Directorate all talk and no trousers? It should not have been too difficult a mission for someone as experienced as Sehun. But it had been relatively easy for a rookie like Jaehyun. They had barely broken a sweat. All it had taken was some hacking and a few wallops. It was as though it were made easy for them.

Sehun had learned to move more carefully when he smelled a rat about a situation. He had learned it the hard way. In the past, his lack of cynicism had landed him in countless dreadful situations. Well, sometimes, he simply did not care. He liked being reckless. But not this time. There was just too much at stake if he were not careful enough.

He was not sure why he was standing in a dark alley, back leaned against the wall. He must have been standing there for nearly an hour since he left the apartment. He said that he had to see Jon, but instead, he wandered into the dank alley that smelled of all things rotten and stayed there, lost in his thoughts.

Two years.

He tried to remember everything that he had done in those two years to get over Kai. To get over the hopes he had so foolishly built when he was still with Kai. To get over the lingering grief of losing Kai repeatedly.

It had been an exhausting journey. Every endeavour he had undertaken to get Kai out of his system had run him completely ragged until there was only little left of him. But he had persevered, and he was still standing.

He remembered the sort of mess he had once been when Avin had broken him. He had done it once, but Kai did it so many times, and every time, he only made Sehun stronger. Not right away, but in the aftermath, Kai gave Sehun the fire he had needed to be better.

What didn’t kill you truly did make you stronger, huh?

Sehun dropped his head back against the wall and looked up at the fat, black clouds gathering in the night sky. It might rain soon.

He did not want all of his effort to get over Kai to go to waste just like that. Seeing Kai again, feeling him again in his hands, looking at those hateful yet intoxicating eyes again had set Sehun’s insides ablaze. He had not felt an emotion that strong in a while. He knew it was not the good kind of emotion, but it made him… feel real again. And he realized that he had not felt _real_ in a long time.

As much as he knew that he should not, he wanted to know if Kai felt the same way. Probably not. But what if…

Sehun shook his head. Who was he kidding? He had turned the man in with his own two hands. He had been the reason why all of Kai’s ambitions were shattered to pieces. If he had never walked into Kai’s life, Kai would have achieved everything that he had wanted to achieve. He might have even been the king of the world someday, too. Just like how he wanted to. But he had underestimated Sehun just like everyone else. He did not think that Sehun had it in him to be so unsparing. Especially when he loved Kai.

Did Sehun ever regret doing what he had done? He tried never to think about it. He did the right thing. He kept telling himself that. Kai would have ruined so many people if he were free. And he was still capable of doing that. Sehun could not let that happen.

After a few more minutes, he finally drew himself away from the alley wall and caught a cab.

When he arrived at the hotel, he made sure that he was not being followed. It might have been paranoia, but it could not hurt to keep an eye on his back.

Jon was in his room when Sehun knocked on the door. He greeted Sehun with a grim look on his face.

“Hey,” Sehun muttered, letting himself in, squeezing past his boyfriend.

Shutting the door, Jon turned to him and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked annoyed. Sehun glanced at the plate of half-eaten chips and then at the football match on the TV.

“Do you really work all day and night?” asked Jon.

Sehun sighed and plumped on the bed, taking his jacket off. “No,” he said. “But I do have other responsibilities with my colleagues. I did not come here for a vacation with my boyfriend. And I did not ask you to follow me here either, Jon.”

Jon’s expression softened. He now frowned as he walked over to the bed and took a seat next to Sehun. “I just… miss you, that’s all. I know I overstepped by coming here. But…”

Sehun exhaled heavily and shifted his weight on the mattress so that he was facing Jon. “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“I went to your room in the morning and you weren’t there.”

“I had to leave early.”

“At 5 o’clock?” Jon’s eyes narrowed.

Sehun’s own eyebrows drew together. “Why are you keeping a tab on me?”

“I’m not keeping a tab on you,” growled Jon. “I just… I feel like you’re not telling me everything.”

Sehun shot up to his feet and clenched his fists. He neither had the mood nor the strength to have this argument right now. “I did not come here to fight with you, Jon.”

“I do not want to fight either,” Jon sighed. “You think I flew all the way here for this?”

Sehun closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a breath. And behind his eyelids, he saw Kai. Pale and unconscious with a few locks of hair fallen over his face. His eyes flashed open at once and looked up at Jon.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know it feels like I’m keeping you in the dark. I’m sorry about that.”

Jon’s frown deepened. “But that does not mean you’re going to tell me what’s going on, is it?”

“I need you to trust me,” Sehun muttered, closing the distance between them. Locking his hands around the back of Jon’s neck, he pulled the man close.

Jon latched his hands on the sides of Sehun’s waist and stared into his eyes. “I’m just… worried. And I don’t know if any of it is rational. I don’t suspect you or anything, Sehun. But then again, you never tell me a lot of things. So, I don’t know what to think.”

“I understand,” Sehun said.

Jon looked disappointed. Sehun was not going to tell him what he wanted to know. And he knew it. “I feel like I don’t really know who you are.”

“You don’t,” Sehun murmured. “But if you want to find out, you are going to have to stick around a bit longer. If you can’t, then I will not hold you back.”

Jon wrapped his arms around Sehun at once and buried his face in the crook of Sehun’s neck. “I did not say that.”

Sehun’s mind went back to the moment when his hands had touched Kai again. He recalled the way Kai’s fingers had curled around his neck, clutching at it fiercely. His heart skipped a beat.

He pulled back from Jon’s embrace. Before he could withdraw altogether, Jon caught his arm and kissed him. Sehun felt his shoulders slump tiredly. He tried to kiss his boyfriend back.

“When are you going back?” Sehun asked, breaking the kiss abruptly.

Jon blinked dazedly. “Uh… Whenever you are?”

“It could take another week,” said Sehun. “You’re not going to stay here for that long, are you?”

Jon scoffed out a chuckle and pulled away from Sehun. “Just say that you want me gone.”

Sehun stared at him. “I didn’t—”

“You’re unbelievable.”

Sehun’s jaw fell slack then. “_I’m_ unbelievable? You’re the one who is suffocating me. For god’s sake, we’ve only been seeing each other for like a couple of months. Why are you acting as if you own me?!”

“Okay, you know what,” Jon spat as he turned on his heel and grabbed his luggage. “I’ll just go.”

Sehun groaned in frustration, running a hand through his hair. Then lurching forward, he grabbed Jon’s arm and stopped him. “Wait. Please. I am sorry.”

He could not afford to lose Jon like this. Not this easily. Even though only a small part of him wanted to keep fighting for this relationship, Sehun knew that he needed this anchor to the peaceful life he needed. Jon could give him that. Sehun just had to try a little harder.

Jon turned and faced him again. “I just feel like I like you more than you like me, Sehun.”

Sehun pressed his hands to Jon’s chest. “That’s not true.”

“Everything feels so one-sided. You don’t… trust me.”

And that was unfair to Jon. Sehun dropped his forehead against Jon’s shoulder and whispered, “What if… you don’t want me if you… knew everything about me?”

“Would you rather I find out much later then?”

Sehun raised his head and looked into Jon’s eyes. “Can you… wait? Just a little longer? I just… need to figure some things out.”

Letting out a heavy breath, Jon finally relaxed. “I want you to know that I am not going to leave you. Whoever you are, whatever that you have done, I will try to love it all.”

Sehun highly doubted that Jon would love the fact that he was a secret agent. And the fact that he used to be in love with a mass murderer.

Jon cupped Sehun’s face in his hands and pressed their mouths together once more. This time, Sehun kissed him back with a little more desperation. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw Kai and his breath would hitch, making it difficult for him to focus on Jon.

“You’ll sleep here tonight?” Jon asked into the kiss, hands dropping to unbutton Sehun’s shirt.

Sehun let his boyfriend undress him. As they tumbled onto the bed, he lazily undid Jon’s pants and yanked the T-shirt over the Jon’s head.

His erratic breathing and muddled head had him jaded for a moment as Jon slid down to kiss his neck.

“Wait, Jon,” Sehun rasped then, sitting up. “Can we… just go to sleep tonight? I’m… exhausted.”

Jon looked confused for a moment. The dismay in his expression was hard to hide. But he sighed and nodded, anyway. “Of course.”

Sehun was glad when Jon sidled next to him on the bed and pulled him close with an arm wrapped around his waist.

“Is this okay?” he asked considerately.

Sehun smiled and placed his head on Jon’s chest. “Can we watch something other than your boring games?”

“Here.” Jon handed him the TV remote.

* * *

Sehun roused in the middle of the night to the sound of a roaring thunder. When he looked to his side, Jon was fast asleep. He was not sure when they had dozed off, but the TV was still on. Turning it off, Sehun quietly slinked out of the bed and grabbed his shirt before pulling it on.

He tried not to make any noise as he slipped out of the hotel room after giving Jon one final glance.

Making his way down to the lobby next, he checked his phone for any messages. There was two from B.I.

_He’s up._

_He doesn’t look so happy. Come back as soon as you can!_

Sehun stopped dead in his tracks, stomach clenching. Then without bothering about the rain which quickly drenched him, he ran outside to get a cab.

* * *

He burst into the apartment, soaked from head to toe with rainwater dripping from his clothes, face and hair. He did not even stop to catch his breath as he hurried toward the room, stumbling over a few things on his way in the dark.

When he entered the room, he found Jaehyun on a chair, half asleep with a gun in his hand.

“Shit, you startled me,” he hissed, head whipping up to look at Sehun.

Sehun glanced over to Kai next. He frowned when he found Kai still conked out with one of his wrists cuffed to the headboard. “You said he was up.”

“He was,” Jaehyun drawled drowsily. “For a while. He just scowled at us and then went back to sleep.”

“Where’s B.I?”

“Asleep.” Jaehyun rose from his seat and checked his wrist watch. “God. It’s like 3 a.m. You want to take over with guard duty? I would like to tap out and get some sleep, too.”

“Yeah,” Sehun let out, taking the gun from Jaehyun’s hand. “You should get some sleep.”

Jaehyun yawned and looked at Kai once. “He’s pretty skinny for a scary terrorist.”

“He wasn’t like this before.”

“What was he like?”

Sehun was not sure why the word ‘magnificent’ was hanging on the tip of his tongue. He licked his lips and shook his head. “Troublesome. You should go. I’ll keep watch.”

“Right.”

With that, Jaehyun wended his way out of there, closing the door shut behind him.

Sehun sank into a seat on the chair and leaned forward, eyes fixed on Kai. “I know you’re awake,” he muttered under his breath after a moment. “I know what you look like when you’re asleep, Kim Kai.”

A sinister grin stretched Kai’s lips. It took him a few seconds before he pulled his eyes open just enough to let Sehun know that he was looking at him. “And I know you.”

His voice sounded hoarse but somehow steady. It sent shivers all the way down to Sehun’s feet. He tried to be brave. Gripping the gun in his hand, he said, “You don’t know why you’re here.”

“No,” Kai let out, shifting on the bed so that he was now lying on his back, facing the ceiling. He tucked his free arm under his head. “But I doubt it’s for a merry-go-round.” He let out a groan of a relief. “Do you know how long it’s been since I slept on a mattress?”

Sehun gritted his teeth. He should not be here. He should be as far away as he could from Kai. How could he, after all, after everything that had happened, sound so nonchalant, as though they were still old buddies?

“Or how long it’s been since I had slept without a warden waking me up with a bucket of ice-cold water or a good cane beating?” Kai added. There was an edge to his tone now.

Sehun tried to remain calm. Kai was up to something. If he reacted, he would be giving Kai what he wanted.

“Most nights I spent in a confined space,” Kai said. “You know how I am with those things. Don’t like them. But they were definitely preferable to the drugs they constantly injected into me.”

He sucked in a deep breath, as though he were appreciating the air in the room. He then turned his head and looked at Sehun. He did not smile.

“How have _you_ been, Sehun?”

Sehun knew that it was stupid. Absolutely unreasonable. He should not be feeling sorry for Kai. He did not. But why did it feel wrong to have moved on when Kai was suffering in prison because of him? Kai deserved every punishment he had gotten. He had it all coming. And yet, Sehun felt guilty for trying to move on. Was that what was holding him back all this while? The feeling of guilt? But it made no sense to feel guilty about what he had done. He had done the right thing.

It was the truth.

But what was also true was the fact that he had loved Kai. To betray someone he loved… That was where the guilt sprouted from.

Part of him wanted to tell Kai that he would never be the same man he once was. He had changed. Too much. Thickening his skin and hardening his heart had taken a toll on his humanity and emotions.

“I’ve been good,” he said instead, maintaining a calm voice.

Kai looked away then. For a long moment, he said nothing. And then he sat upright with his head hung. “Get these off of me,” he said authoritatively, yanking at the handcuffs.

Sehun leaned back in the chair and stared at him.

“I need to take a fucking piss,” Kai spat, rolling his eyes. “You seriously think I’m going to bolt? I don’t even know where I am.”

Sehun rose from his seat and wandered over to the bed. “Don’t try anything funny. I might just shoot you in the head.”

Kai scoffed as Sehun pulled the keys out to unlock the handcuffs. “Haven’t you already tried and failed at that a couple of times?”

Sehun unfastened the handcuffs and caught hold of Kai’s wrist in a tight grip. As he straightened up, he pressed the barrel of the gun to a side of Kai’s head and said, “Don’t tempt me.”

Kai smirked up at him. He then slowly rose from the bed and stood up, meeting Sehun’s eyes on the same level. “You should have just killed me that day on the roof, Sehun,” he said, his eyes darkening once more, his smile tightening into something alarming. He then leaned slightly forward, eyes falling to Sehun’s lips as he whispered, “Such a terrible mistake.”

Sehun plunged the gun into Kai’s chest to shove him back. “I’m not afraid of you, Kai.”

“Well,” he sighed, pressing forward once more, not caring about the gun against his chest. Sehun’s heart was beating so fast and loud that he was worried that Kai might be able to hear it if he got any closer. “You definitely should be.”


	7. Chapter 7

# O L D P A R T N E R S

Sehun did not take his eyes—or his gun—off Kai even for a single second once he had taken the handcuffs off the man. With the barrel of the gun constantly pinned to the small of Kai’s back, Sehun ushered him out of the room. He also made a serious note to himself to never give Kai any satisfaction by reacting to whatever that he had to say. Sehun recalled all the times he had tripped and fallen into the pothole by giving Kai exactly what the bastard had been looking for. Kai had a strange way of eliciting all sorts of reactions out of Sehun with just a few words, and Sehun decided that the best way for him to avoid that now would be to ignore everything that Kai had to say to him and not react.

Perhaps he would raise a reaction out of Kai that way that would give himself satisfaction.

As they teetered through the apartment in the dark, Sehun wondered what sort of tricks Kai might have up in his sleeves this time. The windows of the apartment were barred, thankfully. Even if Kai tried to escape this apartment, he would have a hard time getting all that far without being caught. There were just too many people who were looking for him. He would not be able to leave this country either. Not without help.

And he certainly did not look like he was in the shape to run or fight. Deducing that Kai would not be stupid enough to try anything dumb like that without giving himself some time to recuperate, Sehun eased his worries a little. But he knew better than to lower his guard in Kai’s presence.

He flickered the light switch on when they entered the bathroom. Shoving Kai forward, Sehun jerked his chin toward the toilet, silently ordering Kai to be done with his business quick.

Kai arched an eyebrow. “Are you going to watch? That’s hot.”

Sehun clenched his jaw and held the gun up.

Smirking, Kai turned to the toilet while Sehun leaned back against a wall, keeping the gun pointed at the man’s back. Then heaving in a breath, he averted his gaze momentarily while Kai lowered his pants and started whistling a merry tune.

Once he was done, he moved to the sink where he turned the tap on and rinsed his hands with some soap before he bent over the sink. Cupping some water in his hands, he splashed it onto his face before running the wet fingers through his long hair, pushing it all the way back. Then he raised back up, gripping the edge of the sink, and stared at the mirror for a moment before he slowly started smiling at Sehun’s reflection.

Sehun scowled, grinding his teeth.

“You won’t talk?” Kai asked, straightening back up before he turned around and faced Sehun with an arched eyebrow and a curious smile. Sehun tried to remain calm, gun in place, back braced against the wall, as Kai started walking forward, closing the distance between them. “I miss listening to your voice.”

Sehun rolled his eyes.

He gripped the gun tightly when Kai stopped with less than a foot distancing them. His heart began to pound wildly in his chest as Kai raised one of his hands to the wall and pinned it there near Sehun’s head. He did not care about the gun that was between them.

As much as Sehun did not want to look at those dark, troubled eyes, he could not look away either. Kai leaned closer with his trademark smirk.

“Then don’t talk,” he whispered before his hand flung up to clasp against Sehun’s mouth, slamming the back of Sehun’s head on the wall. Growling, Sehun grabbed Kai’s shirt by the chest with one hand while the other plunged the gun into Kai’s abdomen.

With his free hand, Kai took hold of Sehun’s hand that was fisting his shirt and yanked it away, giving the wrist a painful twist. His fingers dug into Sehun’s cheek as he pressed the hand harder against his mouth to muffle the groans that broke from Sehun’s throat.

He left the gun that pressed into his stomach, however, not threatened by it whatsoever. He did not think that Sehun would pull the trigger. Asshole.

Glaring and fighting to break his other wrist free from Kai’s grip, Sehun huffed heavily. And then Kai leaned even closer, eyes falling heavy. Through his lowered lashes, he stared at his hand that was covering Sehun’s mouth. For a fleeting moment there, Sehun thought that he saw a slight hint of longing in Kai’s eyes.

He froze altogether when Kai pressed his lips to the back of his own hand. His eyes widened while his hands trembled, his entire body flaring up in flames. If it weren’t for the hand that was between their mouths as a barricade, their lips would be locked right now.

Sehun inhaled the smell of Kai’s skin that flooded his senses for a moment. He shivered at the heat of Kai’s body that blanketed around him, waking him to several painful yet delicious memories.

Bloody hell…

Grunting, Sehun finally broke his wrist free from Kai’s grip and brought his hand to the man’s chest before shoving him back. Kai let him go, the smirk returning to his lips proudly.

Sehun panted for a minute, glowering at the bastard, trying to calm himself.

“You still blush,” Kai said as a matter-of-factly. “Good to know.”

“Keep testing my patience, you bastard,” Sehun spat at him, holding the gun up with both hands.

Kai only chuckled as he grabbed the towel hanging by the wall before tossing it onto Sehun’s head. “You’re wet. Dry up.”

Sehun took hold of the towel and was about to fling it to the ground when he saw Kai undo the buttons of his prison shirt. While the man undressed, Sehun gawked at him, aghast.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked as Kai tugged at the knotted string of his pants again.

“I am tired of these clothes. Get me something else to wear, will you?”

As he stepped out of the clothes, Sehun lost himself for a moment, eyes raking the other man’s naked body. The tattoos caught his attention first as usual. There were new scars on his body, Sehun noticed next. Though Kai had lost quite a bit of weight, his build was still packed with lean muscles, especially his thighs.

Sehun only looked away when he realized that he was staring down the trail of hairs beneath the man’s navel.

“I’m not getting you anything to wear,” he spat at Kai. “Put those back on.”

Kai shrugged and started for the door. “Then I’ll just assume that you miss seeing me naked and stay this way for you.”

As Kai walked out of the bathroom, Sehun stopped for a few seconds to gather his thoughts and breaths, cursing at himself for being so transparent.

When he hurried out of the bathroom, he found Kai on the couch with his feet up the coffee table.

“Aren’t you gonna cuff me?” he asked, picking up can of beans from the table, which Jaehyun must have left half-eaten.

Sehun had a hard time keeping his gaze steady. He clenched his hands, wanting to look away, but at the same time, he knew that he shouldn’t. With an exasperated breath, he plumped on the other sofa and kept his head down while Kai dug into the can and spooned out some beans before stuffing them into his mouth.

“You… are an exhausting… son of a bitch,” Sehun hissed under his breath, through his grit teeth.

* * *

B.I was the first to come out after a couple of hours, still clad in his pyjamas with a toothbrush in his mouth. “Good morning. I had a strange dream about horses,” he said before he came to an abrupt halt, eyes darting to Kai who was lounged on the couch, arms spread over the top of the couch, knees held as further apart as they possibly could. He smirked at B.I.

“Long time no see, B.I,” he said.

Coughing, B.I spat out the toothbrush and looked away. “Wow, speaking about horses,” he muttered, clearing his throat nervously. “Should I… get you some pants, Kai?”

“That’ll be super,” said Kai, giving B.I an air kiss with his puckered lips.

Sehun rubbed his temples that were pulsing before he shot up from his seat. “We can’t keep watching him day and night like this,” he told B.I, walking over to the guy.

B.I glanced back at Kai, especially between his legs. “I… agree.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sehun groaned. “The sooner we get rid of him the better.”

B.I nodded and shoved past Sehun. “I hope you’re hungry. I was thinking of making eggs and bacon for breakfast.”

“I am… famished,” Kai exhaled, gazing in Sehun’s way with a cocky look.

“I’ll take the next watch, Sehun,” B.I then said, taking Sehun’s gun. “You should go and step into the shower or something.”

Sehun did not object, even though he wanted to warn B.I to be careful around Kai. But then again, B.I knew what he was doing.

So, he decided to take a shower.

While the water rivulets from the showerhead ran down his back, he brought a hand up to the wall before him and slouched down, taking in deep, steady breaths. He should have never agreed to go on this mission. He was trying to prove to himself, and to Kai, that he had moved on and nothing about Kai bothered him anymore. But the truth was that… seeing Kai again, being in his presence once more was stirring up a turmoil like no other within him.

And what about Kai? Had he moved on? Clearly, he must harbour some grudge against Sehun for the betrayal. But apart from that, did he ever think of the good times they had had together?

Part of Sehun wanted to confront the man and demand answers, but the other part of him knew that the answers would not bring him any peace. Before he knew it, he would get sucked right back into the hellhole.

A hellhole that had brought him more satisfaction than his current hollow and empty life did.

Grunting, he rammed a fist into the wall in the shower, frustrated at the twisted thing he had become. He had always been twisted, hadn’t he? Even way before he had met Kai. He had fallen for the wrong person, he took pleasure in destructing himself, he pushed everyone who cared about him away. Perhaps he and Kai were more alike than he would ever admit.

Perhaps that was why they were able to find that satisfaction and peace with each other, in spite of their relationship having been a complete shitfest.

Stepping out of the shower, Sehun quickly dried himself and jumped into some new clothes before he wandered back out. Much to his surprise, he found Kai fully clothed in one of Jaehyun’s black T-shirts and jeans.

“The trick to soft yolk is to not flip it,” said B.I from where he stood by the stove with an egg in the pan, holding the pan with one hand and the gun with the other. Kai was leaning against the counter behind him, playfully tossing an egg in his hand.

“What is this?” Sehun asked, grimacing at the scene before him.

“Oh. Kai sucks at cooking,” said B.I. “So, he asked for a few tips.”

Sehun momentarily had flashbacks to the time when Kai used to live on vending machines.

“He is a criminal,” Sehun spat.

“Do criminals not like soft egg yolks?” scoffed B.I.

Kai laughed, winking at Sehun.

“What am I looking at?” Jaehyun rasped when he finally came out of his room to find them all standing in the kitchen… making goddamn breakfast with a terrorist. “Why is he out here? And why is he wearing my clothes?”

“Oh,” B.I said, turning to face Jaehyun. “I thought your clothes fit him better.”

“So, you gave him my clothes without asking me?!” He pinned B.I with a murderous glare before he turned to Kai, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you wearing my underwear, too?”

“Who are you?” Kai asked, looking genuinely curious. “You’re pretty as a pinup.”

Jaehyun flinched back with a disgusted scowl when Kai leaned forward. “Can I beat him up? I wanna beat him up.”

“Be my guest,” Sehun muttered as he walked away from the kitchen to the handcuffs so that he could put Kai somewhere in the house where he would not cause any trouble.

But then there was knock on the door.

“It’s me,” Akane called from the other side of the door. Opening it, Sehun let her in. “Sorry to drop by without notice. I was in the neighbourhood. Jaehyun mentioned that he likes fried dumplings. So, I brought some.”

She grinned from ear to ear, holding the container of dumplings up, before she glanced to the kitchen.

“Oh…”

As she made her way to the kitchen, Sehun fished his buzzing phone out and stared at the unknown caller ID for a moment before he opened the message that was sent to the intercepted numbers of Harlan and Beckett and started reading it.

**Daikil Warehouse. Tomorrow at 11pm. Come with the precious cargo. RP.**

Red Peril…

Licking his lips, Sehun looked up at B.I, who was already on his tablet, receiving the same message. He gave Sehun a nod when he raised his head again.

Akane stood close to Jaehyun as she gaped at Kai with ballooned eyes. “Why isn’t he trying to escape or something?” she asked.

“Because he wants to know why we busted him out of the CD,” said Sehun when he returned after retrieving the handcuffs from the other room. “And he thinks it’s a trap by the CD. And if it is, if he tried to run, they’d kill him on the spot and have a legitimate excuse for doing so.”

Kai smirked at him. “You know me so well.” He reached past Jaehyun and brought a hand to the back of Akane’s head. She gasped and nearly screamed as he yanked the hair tie from her ponytail. “I need a haircut.”

Horrified and having turned completely ashen, Akane bolted from the kitchen and hurried for the door.

“Akane,” Sehun called, catching her arm. “Could I borrow your car tomorrow evening?”

“S-Sure,” she let out shakily, still staring at Kai in fear. “Goodbye then.”

With that, she darted out of the door. Shutting it, Sehun glowered at Kai, who tied half of his hair up with the hair tie, looking slightly annoyed at the length of his hair.

“That’s better,” he sighed.

“Now that you are all dolled up,” Sehun grumbled as he slapped the handcuffs onto Kai’s wrists, shackling his hands behind his back, and shoved him to sit down on a chair. “Move your ass from here and I will blast your brain.”

Kai snorted out a chuckle and that was when Sehun furiously backhanded him across the face. Though it had caught Kai off guard, not even the brutal blow could erase the smirk from his lips. He rolled his jaw and looked up at Sehun again with a much more eerie grin.

“Three,” he said, licking his simpering lips.


	8. Chapter 8

# P E R I L O U S A D V E N T U R E S

Sehun nearly bit into his tongue as he clenched his teeth again, fingers gripping the fork with more force and ferocity than necessary.

B.I and Jaehyun were struggling to keep their eyes to themselves. A faint smirk had a corner of Jaehyun’s lips quirked up while B.I looked rather discomforted by the whole situation.

They ate in silence, seated around the kitchen counter. Sehun drew in a sharp breath, grinding his teeth when Kai kicked his chair once again.

“I’m hungry,” said Kai with a cool nonchalance.

Sehun ignored him again, plunging the fork into his scrambled egg. Kai stomped his foot against a leg of Sehun’s chair for the sixth time from where he was sitting, handcuffed.

“I’m assuming one of you is planning to feed me,” Kai sighed, wriggling his cuffed hands. “Sehun?” he called in a low, sultry voice that stilled Sehun in his seat.

Swallowing hard, he turned his head to glance at Kai, who was pinning him with a lopsided grin that raised Sehun’s hairs on the nape of his neck. He returned the look with a hard glare before promptly looking away.

When Kai kicked his chair again, Sehun shot up from his seat, knocking the chair back as he lunged at Kai. Grabbing Kai’s shirt by the chest with one hand, he brought the fork he was gripping in the other to the smirking bastard’s throat.

“You need to stop pushing your luck,” Sehun spat through his grit teeth, eyes boring into Kai’s.

Even with the fork only a hair’s breadth away from piercing his neck, Kai smiled. “I’m hungry,” he said once more, in a much lower voice, that it almost sounded like a whisper. His gaze slowly moved to Sehun’s lips as he licked his own.

Cursing under his breath, Sehun released Kai’s shirt and pulled away. “B.I, you can feed him,” he spat, stomping away with his hands clenched.

“What?” B.I rasped, blinking in Kai’s way. “Me?”

“Don’t worry,” Sehun scoffed. “He’s just all bark, no bite.”

When he glanced back at Kai, he saw the man grinning at him, flashing his teeth. “And here I thought you knew all too well about my… bites,” Kai said to Sehun.

B.I coughed and chugged down some water. Shaking his head, Sehun wandered into the room to prepare for the meeting with the Red Peril’s envoy tomorrow.

* * *

Later that evening, as Jaehyun hauled Kai back into the room, Sehun looked up at them with a frown.

“Your turn to watch him,” said Jaehyun, shoving Kai down to sit on the bed. “I’m heading out for a beer.”

“Watch your back,” Sehun told him.

Jaehyun nodded his head and spared Kai one last look before he stormed out of the room.

Sehun kept his eyes on the silencers as he picked one of them up and locked it around the barrel of his gun. He could tell that Kai was watching him. His gaze had this intensity that often burned through Sehun’s flesh. Damn him.

For minutes, he heard nothing but Kai’s ragged breathing. Kai had not even moved from the spot he was perched on the edge of the bed, staring at Sehun like he was making a painstaking observation.

Only Kai could make it so difficult to be in a room with him even when he was saying or doing absolutely nothing.

Sehun was determined not to show how flustered he was. He had already given in to Kai’s pestering in the morning. It would not happen again. He was not going to give Kai what he wanted.

And then Kai broke the silence. “You are… extraordinary,” he said. It sounded both like a compliment and an underhanded insult.

Sehun lifted his eyes to fix him with a daggering look.

Kai licked his smiling lips and leaned back a little. “You are, you know,” he said calmly. “Not everyone could… shut off himself and pretend like… the past did not matter.”

Sehun felt his throat tighten around a searing lump, which he quickly tried to swallow. He did not look away from Kai’s eyes. It would have given Kai some pleasure if he had.

“You and I,” Kai then added, still simpering psychotically. “We were… something… remarkable.”

Sehun scoffed then, rolling his eyes. That hardened Kai’s expression a little, but the smirk did not fall off from his lips.

“What happened to you?” Kai asked. The question surprised and puzzled Sehun. “I thought… you taking me in and destroying everything I had worked for would give you satisfaction and happiness. But it does not seem like you found your happy ending. You seem… dead. And… hollow.”

Sehun’s chest started aching then. It felt as though someone was repeatedly stomping on it. He had felt nothing but dead and hollow in the last few years. It was as though he were nothing more than a zombie. And Kai could see right through him. He always could.

Knowing that made Sehun skin burn.

A sharp, stinging pain in his chest momentarily had Sehun struggling for breath. It was the most pain he had felt in a while, and it felt amazing.

“Are you going to tell me who wanted me busted out?” Kai asked at length, finally reclining on the bed before he tucked his cuffed hands under his head. “Because I doubt you got me out of there to get back with me.”

Sehun’s phone buzzed in that moment, thankfully. Grabbing it, he frowned briefly at the caller ID, realizing that it was Jon. He answered it.

“Hey,” Jon muttered on the other end of the line. “Are you busy?”

“A little,” Sehun sighed. Kai was staring at him again with a little more calculated look. “What is it?”

“So… I decided to head back. The day after tomorrow,” said Jon. Sehun kept his eyes on Kai, who slowly raised an eyebrow. “Any chance we can meet before that?”

“I’m not sure,” Sehun replied. “You know that I would like to see you, but I am caught up at work.”

“Oh.” Jon was silent for a moment. Then sighing, he said, “All right. Just call me if you get the time to meet up.”

“Sure.”

“I miss you, Sehun.”

Sehun exhaled heavily. “Me too.”

As soon as he had ended the call, Kai sat up again and tightened the hair tie around his hair. “Who was that?” he asked, his voice dropping to a menace. He was not smiling anymore.

Sehun ignored him.

Kai broke into chuckle then before he fell back down on the bed. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to find out on my own.”

* * *

“B.I, I need you to be online the entire time,” Sehun said as they gathered around the coffee table, looming over their plan that was spread out on the table. “Akane will show up at the warehouse with her agents if we need backup. Jaehyun will be in the building nearby, ready to take the necessary shots if it came down to it.”

“What if we’re outnumbered?” asked B.I.

“We are walking into their territory blindfolded,” said Sehun. “It is a risk either way. But we have no other option. We will be sending Kai in there with a tracker. Even if he slips away from us with Red Peril, we have a chance of tracking them down. At least for a short while.”

“This plan doesn’t sound fool-proof,” sighed Jaehyun.

“It is all that we have to go on with,” Sehun grumbled. “The important thing is that we do not let Kai get away no matter. We cannot let him fall into Red Peril’s hands in particular.” His eyes narrowed on Jaehyun. “Which is why… if all else fails, you are going to have to… snipe at him.”

Jaehyun scratched the back of his head. “Sure, I mean, I have no problem with that. But do you think… the CD will be okay with us breaking one of their prisoners out and then… killing him?”

“Just do your job,” Sehun said, heaving a heavy breath. He was not sure why he was hoping that it would not come to it, though. It was not as though he had a reason to care about whether or not Kai lived. The mission was all that mattered.

Except that… Sehun did care. He had always cared.

Because that sick, twisted part of him would always and forever be in love with Kai.

Kai had corrupted him so much that the only way for Sehun to go on with his life was by shutting the part of him that felt anything down. Shutting it down had indeed made him hollow.

“Are you sure you are going to be okay going there on your own?” B.I asked after a while.

Sehun nodded. “As long as they believe that I am Harlan’s guy.”

* * *

When the time finally came, Sehun and Jaehyun entered the room where they found Kai leaned against the wall, seated on the bed. He tilted his head to a side, arching an eyebrow when he saw them walk in.

“Which one of you is escorting me to the toilet so that I can take a piss?” he snorted.

“Get up,” Jaehyun spat, grabbing one of Kai’s arms before yanking him to his feet. He made sure that the handcuffs were secure around Kai’s wrists at his back and fastened the mouth muffler onto Kai’s jaw.

Kai’s brows dipped low in a scowl.

“You are not going to be silent for the rest of the evening,” said Jaehyun as he tied the piece of black cloth around Kai’s head, covering his eyes. “But also blind.”

Kai scoffed as though he were finding this amusing. Sehun and Jaehyun then grabbed Kai’s arms, one each, and dragged him out of the apartment.

Sehun took a little pleasure whenever Kai stumbled and tripped on their way down the stairs. But Kai quickly caught the hang of it and started descending the steps as if he did not even have the blindfold on. That was one of the things that made him exceptionally efficient and masterful. His facility to learn at an alarmingly fast pace.

Akane was waiting for the outside, nervously peering at her wristwatch from where she was standing near her car. “Guys,” she rasped.

Sehun noticed the way Kai’s nose twitched.

“Thanks,” Sehun said, taking the car keys from Akane while Jaehyun stuffed Kai into the passenger seat. “Be on your toes,” he told both Jaehyun and Akane before climbing into the driver’s seat.

He checked his reflection in the rear-view mirror and ran a hand through his hair. Then he glanced over to Kai who was frozen in his seat, sitting uncomfortably on his cuffed hands. As Sehun started the engine, he heard Kai clear his throat.

Kai nodded his head toward the seatbelt. Sehun clenched his jaw. He could tell that the man was smirking behind the metal muffler. Ignoring him, Sehun fastened his own seatbelt and shifted the gear.

* * *

It was not before he pulled into the dark, shifty area did he hear B.I speak through the intercom system in the car. “You’re almost there,” said B.I. Kai turned his head toward the speaker through which he heard B.I’s voice all of a sudden.

“Yeah,” Sehun muttered, looking to the GPS once more.

Kai was shifting his weight in the seat, struggling to lean back with his arms pulled backwards.

“Sehun,” B.I called after a moment. “In case this is a trap, you need to get out of there, okay? Don’t try to be all heroic. There will be some other way to get to Red Peril.”

“I’m going to be fine,” Sehun sighed. “This isn’t my first rodeo, B.I.”

He briefly glanced over to Kai once more. Kai had gone still as a statue, oddly enough. His eyebrows were furrowed into a really deep frown, and his chest was heaving a little. Sehun blinked at him. He almost looked… shocked.

Sehun turned his attention back to the GPS, easing his foot on the gas pedal. “We’re close.”

“I think you need to take a left—” B.I was cut off when Kai lifted a booted foot and stomped on it, breaking it with a brutal force.

Before Sehun could react, Kai headbutted him, ramming his head mercilessly against Sehun’s.

Sehun’s ears rang as the other side of his head crashed against the car’s window. His vision blurred and his throbbing head spun for a moment. Gasping for air, he wobblily reached for the gun on the dashboard when he saw Kai sliding his shackled arms under his legs and bringing them to the front nearly effortlessly.

“Shit—” Sehun grated as Kai grabbed the back of his head and slammed Sehun’s forehead against the steering wheel a couple of times before he hurriedly yanked the blindfold off and grabbed the gun.

Sehun pulled the car over when he was finally able to and lurched toward Kai, only to be stopped by the gun that Kai was holding in his hands, pointed at Sehun.

Sehun felt something warm and watery trickle down a side of his face from his temple. He tasted the blood that oozed out of his nose that Kai had slammed into the wheel. “Kai,” he panted out, his vision tunnelling. “Don’t… do this.”

Kai unlocked the muffler around his face and scowled at Sehun. “Red Peril?” he spat through his teeth.

Sehun blinked. Shit. B.I had just said it, hadn’t he? “Yeah. I am… taking you to them,” Sehun croaked out, his head pounding in all kinds of way. He looked down at the gun, wondering how to disarm Kai in this small space. “Isn’t that… good for you? You’ll be free again.”

Kai surprised him yet again when he started laughing sinisterly. “That’s what you figured, didn’t you?” He shook his head. “Drive,” he ordered Sehun then.

Sehun did not move as he continued to stare at Kai.

“Get us far away from here,” Kai growled then.

Letting out a shaky breath, Sehun did as he was told. He could barely look straight as he pulled the car back onto the road.

“Disable the GPS,” Kai spat.

Sehun did it. He was not sure why he was doing what Kai was telling him to do, though. It was not as if he were afraid of getting shot. Besides, he was not even sure if Kai would be able to pull the trigger.

Sehun was not the only one who was afraid of pulling the trigger.

Once they were far enough from where they were supposed to go, Kai ordered Sehun to stop the car and get out of it.

Stumbling out of the car, Sehun braced himself against the door and wiped the blood from his nose. “What are you doing?” he asked Kai, who walked over to him and demanded that his handcuffs be unlocked.

Though the street was full of derelict buildings, they seemed uninhabited. Not even the street lights were on.

“Fucking get these off me,” Kai snarled.

Sehun glared back at him, jaw clenched. That earned him another hard blow across the face by the back of Kai’s hand. He caught himself before he could drop to the ground.

“Fine,” Kai spat then and held Sehun at gunpoint again. “Come on. It’s going to be a long night for you, Agent Oh.”

Leaving the car behind, Sehun was forced to walk towards an alley.


End file.
